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LEOTUEES: 
EXPOSITORY  AND  PRACTICAL, 


ON 


THE  BOOK  OF 


ECOLESIASTES 


BY  EALPH  WAEDLAW,  D.  D. 

AIJTHOB  OF  DISCOURSES  0:N-  THE  PRINCIPAL  POINTS  OF  THE  SOCINIAN 
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ROMANS,   ZECHARIAH,  AND  JAMES;  &C.,  &C. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

WH.  S.  EENTOUL,  421  WALNUT  STREET. 

1868. 


OF  THE  PUBLISHER  OF  THIS  EDITION. 


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PUBLISHER'S     PREFACE. 

ded,  whieh  he  trusts  will  be  found  to  materially  enhance  the  value 
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Philadelphia,  ) 
June,  1868.       I 


CONTENTS 


PAGF,. 

The  Author's  Preface, ^ 

Lecture  i.  Chapter  i.  1-11, 5 

Lecture  II.  Chapter  i.  12-18, 23 

Lecture  hi.  Chapter  ii.  1-11, 38 

Lecture  iv.  Chapter  ii.  12-26, 54 

Lecture  v.  Chapter  iii.  1-15, 73 

Lecture  vi.  Chapter  iii.  16-22.    iv.  1-3, 96 

Lecture  vii.  Cliapter  iv.  4-16, 113 

Lecture  vni.         Chapter  v.  1-7, 132 

Lecture  ix.  Chapter  v.  8-20, 152 

Lecture  x.  Chapter  vi.  1-12, 170 

Lecture  xi.  Chapter  vii.  1-6, 185 

Lecture  xii.  Chapter  vii.  7-14, 206 

Lecture  xiii.         Chapter  vii.  15-22, 225 

Lecture  xi'v.  Chapter  vii.  23-29, 244 

Lecture  xv.  Chapter  viii.  1-8, 261 

Lecture  xvi.         Chapter  viii.  9-17, 276 

Lecture  xvii.       Chapter  ix.  1-10, 294 

Lecture  xviii.      Chapter  ix.  11-18, 314 

Lecture  xix.         Chapter  x.  1-10, 328 

Lecture  xx.  Chapter  x.  11-20, 342 

Lecture  xxi.         Chapter  xi.  1-8, 359 

Lecture  xxii.       Chapter  xi.  9,  10.    xii.  1-7, 378 

Lecture  xxiii.      Chapter  xii.  8-14, 406 

The  Christian's  hope  of  Christ's  Second  Coming 425 


THE  AUTHOR^S  PREFACE. 


The  following  lectures  were,  in  the  substance  of  them,  delivered,  in  the  or- 
dinary course  of  my  weekly  ministrations,  in  the  years  1810  and  1811.  They 
have  been  entirely  recomposed  for  the  press.  Both  their  original  delivery, 
and  their  subsequent  preparation  for  the  public  in  their  present  form,  were 
suggested  by  the  state  of  the  times,  which  appeared,  in  the  afflictive  visita- 
tions of  providence  upon  the  mercantile  interests  of  our  country,  to  press  so 
powerfully  the  great  lessons  of  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes  upon  the  attention  of 
its  inhabitants;  and  nowhere  was  the  call  more  imperious,  to  "lay  these  les- 
sons to  heart,"  than  in  this  great  manufacturing  city. 

By  this  statement,  the  expectation  will  at  once  be  precluded  in  the  reader's 
mind,  of  critical  or  philological  disquisition.  Of  this,  for  very  obvious  reasons, 
it  is  the  duty  of  a  public  teacher  of  the  word  of  God,  to  be  as  sparing  as  is 
consistent  with  fidelity  to  truth.  His  first  concern,  it  is  true,  ought  certainly 
to  be,  to  discover,  in  every  passage,  "the  mind  of  the  Spirit," — the  sentiment 
originally  intended  by  the  inspired  writers  to  be  conveyed ;  for  any  other 
sentiment  is  not  Divine  revelation : — and  thereforcy^if,  in  any  particular  in- 
stance, he  is  satisfied  that  the  sense  has  been  misapprehended  by  our  English 
translators,  it  becomes  incumbent  upon  him,  with  modesty,  to  point  out  the 
mistake,  and  to  give  what  appears  to  be  the  true  meaning.  I  need  not  say, 
however,  that  in  the  fulfilment  of  this  duty,  (for  I  will  not  call  it  the  mere  use 
of  a  liberty,)  self-diffidence  and  caution  are  peculiarly  requisite.  In  the  fol- 
lowing discourses,  I  have,  with  very  few  exceptions,  assumed  the  correctness 
of  the  common  English  Version,  in  expressing  the  sense  of  the  original,  being 
satisfied,  that  in  most  instances  in  which  different  translations  have  been  pro- 
posed, its  claims  to  preference  are  at  least  not  inferior  to  those  of  others. 

Those  who  are  desirous  of  examining  the  Book  critically,  may  have  recourse 
to  such  authors  as  DesvcEUx,  Schultens,  Dathius,  Van  der  Palm,  Hodgson, 
and  others.  In  their  works,  the  various  opinions  may  be  seen  which  have 
been  entertained  by  different  critics  and  commentators,  respecting  its  great 
general  object;  along  with  abundance,  more  and  less  valuable,  of  philological 
remark  and  dissertation,  for  the  elucidation  of  particular  portions  of  it.  The 
commentary  of  Bishop  Eeynolds,  as  edited  by  the  Rev.  Mr,  Washbourne  in 
1811,  I  did  not  see  till  the  last  of  these  lectures  was  at  press. 

The  general  design  of  the  Book  is  by  some  conceived  to  be  simple,  by  others 
3 


4  PREFACE. 

more  comijlex ;  and  in  this  department  of  sacred  literature,  as  in  others,  there 
are  not  wanting  occasional  indications  of  the  love  of  hypothesis  and  origi- 
nality. There  has  been  also,  I  am  tempted  to  think,  an  unnecessary  creation 
of  difficulties.  It  seems  sufficiently  clear,  that  the  writer's  first  design  is  to 
illustrate  and  prove,  by  a  variety  of  examples,  taken  from  his  own  experience 
and  his  observation  of  others,  the  position  that  "all  is  vanity;"  the  in- 
sufficiency of  all  the  labors,  and  pursuits,  and  earthly  pleasures  of  men,  to  con- 
fer true  happiness ;  an  insufficiency  arising  from  the  sinfulness  of  some  of  them, 
the  illusory  nature  of  others,  and  the  precariousness  and  short-lived  continu- 
ance of  all.  This  position  he  lays  down  at  the  outset  of  his  treatise ;  twenty 
times  he  directly  repeats  it,  and  oftener  still  alludes  to  it,  in  the  course  of  his 
details ;  and  when  he  has  finished  his  proofs  and  illustrations,  he  formally  re- 
announces  it  in  his  peroration.  This  ought  surely  to  be  enough,  to  determine 
the  text  of  a  discourse.  But  there  is  an  object  of  the  writer  ulterior  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  this  position.  It  would  not  have  been  enough  for  him  to  ex- 
pose the  false  sources  of  happiness,  without  directing  to  the  true ; — to  break  in 
pieces  the  cisterns  that  men  have  hewed  out  for  themselves,  without  conduc- 
ting to  the  "  fountain  of  living  water;" — to  point  out  the  folly  of  the  answers 
which  men  have  given  to  the  question,  "Who  will  show  us  good?"  and  to 
give  no  satisfying  reply  to  it  himself  His  ultimate  object,  therefore,  is  not  to 
make  good  the  position,  that  "all  is  vanity,"  but  rather,  upon  the  establishment 
of  this  afiecting  truth,  to  found  the  further  position,  that  to  "  fear  God  and 
keep  his  commandments  is  the  whole"  duty,  and  honor,  and  happiness  "of 
man."  This  is  "the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter:" — and  can  any  conclu- 
sion be  conceived,  to  which  it  could  be  more  worthy  of  inspiration  to  conduct 
the  erring  creatures  of  God? 

I  enjoyed  much  pleasure  in  the  study  and  exposition  of  this  interesting  por- 
tion of  the  word  of  God ;  and  the  pleasure  has  been  renewed  in  preparing  the 
discourses  for  the  press.  Whether  they  shall  give  satisfaction  to  others,  re- 
mains now  to  be  ascertained.  Every  author,  of  course,  indulges  a  hope,  that 
his  work  may  not  be  altogether  unacceptable.  But  in  publishing,  as  in  preach- 
ing, there  ought  to  be  a  higher  aim  than  to  please.  The  great  concern  should 
be,  to  impress  the  lessons  of  Divine  wisdom,  and  the  necessity  of  their  imme- 
diate reduction  to  practice.  If  such  impression  be  not  produced, — if  no  prac- 
tical result  be  effected, — it  will  little  avail  the  reader  that  he  has  merely  been 
gratified ;  nor  ought  it,  surely,  to  satisfy  the  writer.  "  Lo !  thou  art  unto  them 
as  a  very  lovely  song,  of  one  who  hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play  well  on 
an  instrument:  for  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they  will  not  do  them." 

I  commend  the  work  to  the  blessing  of  that  God,  the  sacred  lessons  of  whose 
word  it  is  intended  to  illustrate  and  recommend. 

E.W. 
Glasgow,         ] 
September  28th,  1821.  j 


LECTURE  I, 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  1-11. 

'The  words  of  the  Preacher,  the  son  of  David,  king  of  Jerusalem.  2,  Vanity 
of  vanities,  saiththe  Preacher,  vanity  of  vanities ;  all  (is)  vanity.  3,  What 
profit  hath  a  man  of  all  his  labor  which  he  taketh  under  the  sun?  4.  (One) 
generation  passeth  away,  and  (another)  generation  cometh :  but  the  earth 
abideth  for  ever.  5,  I'he  sun  also  ariseth,  and  the  sun  goeth  down,  and 
hasteth  to  his  place  where  he  arose.  6.  The  wind  goeth  toward  the  south, 
and  turneth  about  unto  the  north ;  it  whirleth  about  continually ;  and  the 
wind  returneth  again  according  to  his  circuits.  7.  All  the  rivers  run  into 
the  sea ;  yet  the  sea  (is)  not  full :  unto  the  place  from  whence  the  rivers  come, 
thither  they  return  again.  8.  All  things  (are)  full  of  labor;  man  cannot 
utter  (it) :  the  eye  isuot  satisfied  with  seeing,  nor  the  ear  filled  with  hear- 
ing. 9.  The  thing  that  hath  been,  it  (is  that)  which  shall  be;  and  that 
'  which  is  done  (is)  that  which  shall  be  done :  and  (there  is)  no  new  (thing^ 
under  the  sun.  10.  Is  there  (any)  thing  whereof  it  may  be  said,  See,  this  (is ) 
new?  it  hath  been  already  of  old  time,  which  was  before  us,  11.  (There  is) 
no  remembrance  of  former  (things) ;  neither  shall  there  be  (any)  remem- 
brance of  (things)  that  are  to  come  with  (those)  that  shall  come  after." 

The  account  given  us,  in  the  Old  Testament  history,  of  the 
early  character  of  Solomon,  and  of  the  commencement  of  his  reign, 
is  such  as  cannot  fail  to  impart  the  purest  delight  to  every  pious 
and  benevolent  mind.  In  the  following  simple  narrative,  we 
know  not  whether  to  be  most  charmed  with  the  self-diffidence  and 
piety  of  the  man,  or  with  the  disinterested  patriotism  of  the 
jjrince : — "  In  Gibeon  the  Lord  appeared  to  Solomon  in  a  dream 
by  night :  and  God  said.  Ask  what  I  shall  give  thee.  And  Solo- 
mon said.  Thou  hast  showed  unto  thy  servant  David  my  father 
great  mercy,  according  as  he  walked  before  thee  in  truth,  and  in 
righteousness,  and  in  uprightness  of  heart  with  thee;  and  thou 
hast  kept  for  him  this  great  kindness,  that  thou  hast  given  him  a 
son  to  sit  on  his  throne,  as  (it  is)  this  day.  And  now,  O  Lord 
my  God,  thou  hast  made  thy  servant  king  instead  of  David  my 
father;  and  I  (am  but)  a  little  child:  I  know  not  (how)  to  go  out 
5 


6  LECTURE   I. 

or  come  in>.  And  thy  servant  (is)  in  the  midst  of  thy  people  which 
thou  hast  chosen,  a  great  people,  that  cannot  be  numbered  nor 
counted  for  multitude.  Give  therefore  thy  servant  an  under- 
standing heart  to  judge  thy  people,  that  I  may  discern  between 
good  and  bad :  for  who  is  able  to  judge  this  thy  so  great  a  people? 
And  the  speech  pleased  the  Lord,  that  Solomon  had  asked  this 
thing.  And  God  said  unto  him.  Because  thou  has  asked  this 
thing,  and  has  not  asked  for  thyself  long  life ;  neither  hast  asked 
riches  for  thyself,  nor  hast  asked  the  life  of  thine  enemies ;  but 
hast  asked  for  thyself  understanding  to  discern  judgment;  behold, 
I  have  done  according  to  thy  words :  lo,  I  have  given  thee  a  wise 
and  an  understanding  heart ;  so  that  there  was  none  like  thee  be- 
fore thee,  neither  after  thee  shall  any  arise  like  unto  thee.  And  I 
have  also  given  thee  that  which  thou  hast  not  asked,  both  riches 
and  honor :  so  that  there  shall  not  be  any  among  the  kings  like 
unto  thee  all  thy  days.  And  if  thou  wilt  walk  in  my  ways,  to 
keep  my  statutes  and  my  commandments,  as  thy  father  David  did 
walk,  then  I  will  lengthen  thy  days.  And  Solomon  awoke;  and, 
behold,  (it  was)  a  dream:  and  he  came  to  Jerusalem,  and  stood 
before  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord,  and  offered  up  burnt- 
oiferings,  and  offered  peace-offerings,  and  made  a  feast  to  all  his 
servants."    1  Kings  iii.  5-15. 

The  same  features  of  character  are  beautifully  exemplified  in 
the  opening  scenes  of  his  reign.  Behold  him,  at  the  dedication  of 
the  Temple,  assembling  all  Israel  together;  bringing  up  to  its 
place  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord ;  pouring  out  in  public 
to  Jehovah  the  thanksgivings  of  a  grateful  heart;  blessing  the 
people  in  His  name;  standmg  before  the  altar  of  God,  spreading 
forth  his  hands  towards  heaven,  and,  with  humble  reverence,  and 
holy  fervor,  and  patriotic  affection,  uttering  aloud  his  prayers  and 
intercessions  to  the  Most  High;  offering  the  sacrifices  of  dedication ; 
renewing  his  benedictions  to  the  vast  assembly;  and,  after  four- 
teen days  of  sacred  festivity,  sending  them  away, — "blessing  the 
king,  and  joyful  and  glad  of  heart  for  all  the  goodness  which  the 
Lord  had  done  for  David  his  servant,  and  for  Israel  his  people." 
(See  1  Kings,  chap,  viii.) 

In  proportion,  my  brethren,  as  we  are  gratified  and  delighted 
by  these  accounts  of  the  character  of  Solomon's  youth,  and  of  the 
auspicious  beginning  of  his  government,  will  our  feelings  of  dis- 


ECCLESIASTES   I.   1-11.  7 

appointment  and  grief  be  intense,  wlien  we  contemplate  his  sub- 
sequent deviations  from  the  ways  of  wisdom,  and  lamentable  "de- 
parture from  the  living  God."  "For  it  came  to  pass,  when  Solo- 
mon was  old,  (that)  his  wives  turned  away  his  heart  after  other 
gods :  and  his  heart  was  not  perfect  with  the  Lord  his  God,  as 
(was)  the  heart  of  David  his  father.  For  Solomon  went  after 
Ashtoreth  the  goddess  of  the  Zidonians,  and  after  Milcom  the 
abomination  of  the  Ammonites.  And  Solomon  did  evil  in  the 
sight  of  the  Loed,  and  went  not  fully  after  the  Lord,  as  (did) 
David  his  father.  Then  ^d  Solomon  build  an  high-place  for 
Chemosh  the  abomination  of  Moab,  in  the  hill  that  (is)  before 
Jerusalem,  and  for  Moloch  the  abomination  of  the  children  of  Am- 
mon.  And  likewise  did  he  for  all  his  strange  wives,  who  burnt 
incense,  and  sacrificed  unto  their  gods.  And  the  Lord  was  angry 
with  Solomon,  because  his  heart  was  turned  from  the  Lord  God 
of  Israel,  who  had  aj^peared  unto  him  twice ;  and  had  commanded 
him  concerning  this  thing,  that  he  should  not  go  after  other  gods ; 
but  he  kept  not  that  which  the  Lord  commanded."  1  Kings  xi. 
4-10. 

Alas!  how  fallen! — And,  judging  from  the  history  alone,  we 
should  have  been  left  to  conclude, — fallen  finally !  Much,  how- 
ever, is  to  be  learned,  by  the  comparison  of  one  part  of  Scrijiture 
with  another.  If,  for  example,  (to  give  an  instance  analogous  to 
the  one  before  us,) — if  we  had  no  other  record  of  Manasseh's  reign 
than  that  contained  in  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  the  second  book 
of  Kings,  we  should  have  known  nothing  of  him  but  his  extra- 
ordinary wickedness,  the  idolatry,  oppression,  and  sanguinary 
cruelty  of  his  administration ; — we  should  have  contemplated  him, 
with  the  painful  feelings  of  abhorrence  and  reprobation,  dying  as 
he  had  lived,  sinking  iute  the  grave  under  a  load  of  unrepented 
crime  and  unobliterated  infamy.  But  when  we  compare  the  ad- 
ditional account  given  of  him  in  the  thirty-third  chapter  of  the 
second  Book  of  Chronicles,  we  see  him  brought  back,  by  sancti- 
fied afiliction,  to  the  God  whom  he  had  so  awfully  forsaken  and 
dishonored,  a  subject  of  that  "broken  and  contrite  spirit  which  He 
does  not  despise,"  and  an  interesting  and  encouraging  example  of 
the  freedom  and  riches  of  Divine  grace.  The  Book  of  Ecclesi- 
astes  presents  us  with  a  similar  comfortable  and  cheering  view  of 
the  latter  days  of  the  life  of  Solomon.     We  behold  him  here,  after 


8  LECTUEE   I. 

a  temporai'y  apostasy  from  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  "confessing, 
and  forsaking,  and  finding  mercy."  "We  behold  him,  retnrning 
from  the  broken  and  empty  cisterns  of  the  world  to  the  Fountain 
of  living  water;  recording,  for  the  admonition  of  future  ages,  his 
own  folly  and  shame,  the  bitterness  of  his  disappointment,  and  the 
salutary  lessons  he  had  learned  from  the  infatuated  and  impious 
experiment  of  seeking  happiness  in  the  vanities  of  the  world  with- 
out God. 

That  the  Book  was  the  composition  of  Solomon,  the  title  bears; 
universal  tradition  affirms;  and  internal  evidence  concurs  to  prove: 
there  being  many  things  in  it  Avhich  will  apply  to  no  one  else. 
With  the  doubts  which  have  at  times  been  expressed,  and  the  an- 
swers which  have  been  given  to  them,  I  shall  not  at  present  trouble 
you.  Some  of  them  have  arisen  from  certain  passages  in  the  Book 
itself,  having  appeared  inconsistent  with  the  dictates  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  other  parts  of  the  Sacred  volume,  and  expressive  of  senti- 
ments dangerous,  or  at  least  ambiguous.  The  true  interpretation 
of  these  passages  will  come  to  be  considered  in  their  respective 
places;  when  their  perfect  harmony  with  the  rest  of  the  Bible, 
will,  we  trust,  be  satisfactorily  shown,  and  their  title  sufficiently 
established  to  the  character  belonging  to  all  that  is  "given  by  in- 
spiration of  God,"— the  character  of  being  "  profitable  for  instruc- 
tion, for  conviction,  for  reformation,  and  for  education  in  righteous- 
ness."    (See  2  Tim.  iii.  16;   Greeh  Text) 

And,  while  external  and  internal  evidences  establish  the  gen- 
uineness of  the  treatise,  as  the  production  of  the  prince  Avhose 
name  it  bears;  the  same  descriptions  of  proof  assign  its  compo- 
sition to  a  period  of  his  life  subsequent  to  his  temporary  apostasy 
from  the  service  and  the  ways  of  God.  This  is  the  testimony  of 
Jewish  tradition;  and,  whilst  every  rigl*  feeling  should  induce  us 
to  ivish  the  testimony  true,  there  is  enough  iu  the  book  itself  to 
vindicate  our  judgment  from  the  imputation  of  credulity  in  he- 
lieving  it.  For,  if  it  was  written  by  Solomon  at  all,  at  what  other 
time  of  his  life  could  it  be  written?  Not  before  his  apostasy:  for 
then  he  had  not  been  guilty  of  the  madness  and  impiety  described. 
jSFot  during  its  continuance:  for  the  language  of  the  record  is  that 
of  past  time,  and  the  spirit  which  it  breathes  is  that  of  peniteuQe 
for  past  misconduct.  An  apostate,  persisting  in  his  apostasy, 
could  not  possibly  have  been  its  author.    It  must  have  been  written. 


ECCLESIASTES   I.  1-11.  9 

therefore,  after  his  return  from  his  wanderings;  and  the  delight 
which  the  conviction  of  this  inspires,  rests  on  grounds  that  arc  not 
ilkisory. 

Verse  1st.  The  iconJs  of  the  Preacher,  the  son  of  David,  hhig  of 
Jerusalem, 

ECCLESIASTES,  is  the  Greek  Title  of  the  Book;  the  title  which 
it  bears  in  the  Septuagint.  It  signifies  The  Preacher.  The 
Hebrew  word  for  which  it  is  used,  means,  one  who  assembles,  or 
gathers  the  people  together;  and  the  translation  of  it  by  the  term 
Ecdesiastes,  shows  that  the  Greek  Translators  understood  the  ob- 
ject of  the  assembling  to  be,  the  communication  of  public  instruc- 
tion. That  Solomon,  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign,  should  have 
employed  in  this  way,  for  the  benefit  of  his  people,  the  wisdom 
with  which  he  had  been  so  singularly  endowed,  is  highly  proba- 
ble. It  is  worthy  of  his  piety  and  his  patriotism,  and  by  no  means 
inconsistent,  unless  on  false  ideas  of  honor,  with  his  regal  dignity. 
AVhen  he  himself  went  astray,  his  example  could  not  fail  to  have 
a  most  extensively  pernicious  influence  in  "  causing  Israel  to  sin." 
And  it  is  a  highly  pleasing  reflection,  that  when  he  "came  to  him- 
self," he  should,  Avith  a  similar  publicity,  have  acknowledged  the 
folly  and  the  evil  of  his  w^ays,  and  have  done  what  lay  in  his 
power,  by  an  open  avowal  of  his  "repentance  towards  God,"  to 
counteract  the  fatal  tendency  of  the  course  he  had  been  pursuing, 
and  to  stem  the  tide  of  impiety  and  profligacy,  the  floodgates  of 
w^hich  he  had  so  unhappily  opened.  He  had  been  guilty  of  the 
two  great  evils,  of  "  forsaking  God  the  fountain  of  living  waters," 
and  of  "  hewing  out  unto  himself  cisterns,  broken  cisterns  that  could 
hold  no  water;"  and  now  he  declares  before  all  men,  that  he  had 
found  this  to  be  "an  evil  thing  and  a  bitter,"  and  with  a  decision 
and  earnestness,  the  product  of  woful  experience,  warns  all  against 
the  miserable  infatuation.  Nor  does  he  only  publish  his  peni- 
tence at  the  time;  he  imparts  permanence  to  it  by  recording  it  in 
writing  for  the  admonition  of  succeeding  generations. 

His  charcter  as  a  preacher  is  drawn  in  the  twelfth  chapter,  the 
ninth  and  tenth  verses: — "Moreover,  because  the  Preacher  was 
wise,  he  still  taught  the  people  knowledge;  yea,  he  gave  good 
heed,  and  sought  out,  (and)  set  in  order  many  proverbs.  The 
Preacher  sought  to  find  out  acceptable  words :  and  (that  which 
was)  written  (was)  upright,  (even)  words  of  truth."     Let  us,  then. 


10  LECTURE   I. 

attend  with  seriousness,  and  with  earnest  desire  of  Divine  influ- 
ence, to  the  words  of  this  preacher,  as  "words  of  uprightness  and 
truth." 

He  was  the  "son  of  David."  To  him  had  been  addressed,  by 
his  pious  and  aifectionate  parent,  the  solemn  charge,  equally  melt- 
ing and  alarming:  "And  thou,  Solomon  my  son,-  know  thou  the 
God  of  thy  father,  and  serve  him  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  with 
a  willing  mind ;  for  the  Loed  searcheth  all  hearts,  and  under- 
standeth  all  the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts :  if  thou  seek  him, 
he  will  be  found  of  thee ;  but  if  thou  forsake  him,  he  will  cast  thee 
off  for  ever."  (1  Chron.  xxviii.  9.)  It  was  in  opposition  to  this 
paternal  counsel  that  he  had  gone  astray ;  and  possibly,  the  tender 
recollection  of  it,  brought  home  to  the  heart  by  the  events  of  pro- 
vidence, might  be  part  of  the  means  of  "restoring  his  soul,  and 
making  him  to  walk  again  in  the  jjaths  of  righteousness."  "I 
was  my  father's  son," — says  he  elsewhere,  (Prov.  iv.  3,  4,)  bearing 
testimony  to  the  aifectionate  fidelity  with  which  that  father  had 
fulfilled  the  paternal  trust, — "I  was  my  father's  son,  tender  and 
only  beloved  in  the  sight  of  my  mother.  He  taught  me  also,  and 
said  unto  2ne,  Let  thy  heart  retain  my  words ;  keep  my  command- 
ments, and  live."  Frequently  has  it  happened,  (and  the  consider- 
ration  of  it  should  encourage  godly  parents  in  the  discharge  of  their 
duty,)  that  the  remembrance  of  early  instructions  has,  after  a  course 
of  departure  from  God,  been  the  means  of  awakening  the  con- 
science, alarming  the  fears,  and  touching  the  sensibilities,  of  the 
unhappy  wanderer,  and  turning  his  feet  anew  to  "the  way  of  God's 
testimonies." 

"The  preacher"  was  also  "king  of  Jerusalem."  It  was  the 
God  of  Israel  who  had  chosen  and  exalted  him  to  this  dignity : 
but  he  had  been  guilty  of  forgetting  and  ill-requiting  the  Author 
of  his  greatness.  Possessed  of  many  and  invaluable  spiritual  ad- 
vantages above  the  kings  of  the  surrounding  nations,  he  had  yet 
"learned  of  their  ways,"  honored  and  served  their  gods,  and  ad- 
mitted the  abominations  of  their  idolatry  into  alliance  and  in- 
corporation with  the  worship  of  "the  Holy  One  of  Israel:"  thus 
violating  the  most  sacred  obligations  to  preserve  that  worship,  by 
example  and  authority,  free  from  intermingling  corruptions;  and 
leading  that  people  astray  into  error  and  sin,  whom  it  was  his 
official  duty  to  encourage  and  to  conduct  in  the  ways  of  truth  and 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  1-11.  11 

righteousness.  As  "king  of  Jerusalem,"  he  was  also  placed  in  a 
situation,  Avhicli  brought  within  his  reach  "  whatsoever  his  soul 
lusted  after,"  and  thus  enabled  him,  in  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances, and  on  the  most  extensive  scale,  (for  "what  can  the  man 
do,  that  Cometh  after  the  king?")  to  try  his  infatuated  experi- 
ments on  human  happiness ;  experiments,  of  which  the  great  gene- 
ral result  is  expressed,  with  comprehensive  brevity,  and  deep-felt 
emphasis,  in  the  second  verse: — 

Verse  2d.   "Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  Preacher, 

VANITY  OF  VANITIES ;    ALL  IS  VANITY." 

This  is  the  Text  of  the  Preacher's  sermon ;  the  leading  propo- 
sition, which  it  is  his  object  to  illustrate  and  to  establish,  in  the 
whole  of  the  subsequent  part  of  this  book ;  of  which  he  never  loses 
sight;  which  meets  us,  in  the  way  of  direct  allusion,  at  every  step 
and  turn  of  the  progress  of  his  argument;  and  to  which,  when  he 
has  finished  his  details,  he  reverts  in  the  very  same  terms,  in  his 
peroration.  (Chap.  xii.  8.) 

To  enter  into  any  detached  and  general  illustration  of  this  verse 
would,  therefore,  be  to  anticipate  the  contents  of  the  Book.  The 
following  remarks  maybe  worthy  of  attention: — 

In  the  first  place:  It  is  to  be  considered  as  the  aiFecting  result  of 
Solomon's  own  experience.  He  had  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the 
universal  incpiiry,  "who  will  show  us  any  good?"  (Psal.  iv.  6.) 
and  had  made  trial  of  the  various  sources  of  worldly  happiness. 
He  had  repaired  in  person  to  the  diiferent  springs,  determined  to 
take  nothing  upon  the  reported  exj^erience  of  others,  but  to  taste 
the  waters  for  himself.  He  had  drunk  freely  of  them  all;  and  in 
this  treatise,  he  describes  their  respective  properties  and  virtues. 
The  Book  might,  therefore,  with  sufficient  appropriateness,  be  en- 
titled "The  Experience  of  Solomon." 

Secondly.  We  are  not  to  understand  it  as  the  language  of  a  mind 
soured  and  fretted  by  disappointment ;  the  verdict  of  a  morose  and 
discontented  cynic,  the  incessant  frustration  of  whose  hopes  and 
desires  had  made  him  renounce  the  world  in  disgust,  while  his 
heart  was  yet  unchanged,  and  continued  secretly  to  hanker  after 
the  same  enjoyments;  or  of  a  wastetl  sensualist,  who,  having  run 
his  career  of  pleasure,  felt  hiruself  incapable  of  any  longer  actually 
enjoying  what  still,  however,  engrossed  his  peevish  and  unavail- 
ing wishes: — but  we  are  to  regard  it  as  the  conclusion  come  to  by 


12  LECTUEE  I. 

one  wlio  had  felt  the  bitterness  of  a  covirse  of  sln^  and  the  empti- 
ness of  this  world's  joys^  and^  having  been  reclaimed  from  "the 
error  of  his  way," — having  renonnced  and  wept  over  his  follies, — 
was  more  than  ever  satisfied  that  "the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  wisdom/'' 
and  that  "  the  ways  of  wisdom  are  the  only  ways  of  pleasantnesSj, 
and  her  paths  alone  the  paths  of  peace." 

Thirdbj.  Neither  must  we  conceive  him  to  affirm  _^  in  these  words, 
that  there  is  no  good  lohatever,  no  kind  of  enjoyment,  no  degree  of 
hajjpiness,  to  be  derived  from  the  things  of  the  world,  when  they 
are  kept  in  their  own  place,  estimated  on  right  principles,  and  iised 
in  a  proper  manner.  Sentiments  widely  diiferent  from  any  thing 
so  ascetic  and  enthusiastic  as  this,  will  repeatedly  come  in  oar  way 
in  the  course  of  the  Book.  The  words  before  us  are  to  be  inter- 
preted of  every  thing  in  this  world  when  pursued  as  ih^  portion 
of  him  who  seeks  it, — ^when  considered  as  constituting  the  happi- 
ness of  a  rational,  immortal,  and  accountable  being.  His  verdict 
is,  that  to  such  a  creature  they  can  yield,  by  themselves,  no  genuine 
and  worthy  satisfaction ;  and  that,  whilst  they  are,  in  their  owns 
nature,  unsatisfying,  even  in  this  world,  they  are  worse,  injfinitely 
worse,  than  profitless  for  the  world  to  come.  On  this  ground  it 
is,  that  he  pronounces  them  vanity: — he  had  weighed  them  all  in 
the  balances,  and  had  found  them  wanting. 

Fourthly.  The  peculiar  emphasis  may  be  remarked  with  which 
this  verdict  is  expressed.  He  does  not  merely  siay,  all  tilings  are 
vain: — but  "all  is  vanity f^ — vanity  itself,  and  vanity  of  vanities^ 
that  is,  the  greatest  vanity, — sheer,  perfect  vanity.  And  he  dou- 
bles the  emphatic  asseveration,  "Vanity  of  vanities-;  vanity  of 
vanities ;  all  is  vanity.'''  This  shows,  first,  tlie  strength  of  the  im- 
pression on  his  own  mind.  It  is  not  the  language  of  a  judgment 
hesitating  between  two  opinions,  or  of  a  heart  lingering  between; 
opposite  desires:  but  of  a  mind  thoroughly  made  up;  of  a  heart 
loathing  itself  for  having  ever  for  a  mc^ment  yielded  to  a  diiferent 
sentiment;  of  decided  conviction ;  of  powerful  exijerimental  feel- 
ing. It  shows,  secondly,  the  earnestness  of  his-  desire  tO'  produce 
a  similar  impression  on  the  minds  of  others.  It  was  a  lesson  which 
he  himself  had  learned  by  the  bitterest  experience ;;  and  he  is  anx- 
ious to  prevent  others  from  learning  it  in  the  same  way.  He 
wishes  them  to  take  his  word  for  it;  not  to  venture  after  him  in 
a  repetition  of  the  sad  experiments  on  which  his  conclusion  was 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  1-11.  13 

founded,  but  to  enter  directly  on  another  course;  to  seek  imme- 
diately and  earnestly  a  better  portion,  even  the  "peace"  of  them 
that  "love  God's  law,"— the  "life"  that  lies  in  the  "Divine  fli- 
vor," — the  joys  and  the  hopes  of  true  religion. 

That  is  justly  denominated  "  vanity,"  which  yields  no  substantial 
profit.     It  is  in  this  connection  that  he  adds; — 

Verse  3.  What  profit  hath  <z  man  of  all  his  labor  ivhlch  lie  iaJcefh 
under  the  sunf 

By  "  labor "  he  means,  not  only  the  labor  of  the  hands,  but  also 
the  labor  of  the  brain ;  for  of  both  Ave  shall  find  him  frequently 
speaking  in  the  sequel.  "  What  profit  hath  a  man  of  all  his  la- 
bor?" Much,  it  may  be  answered:  much  profit;  great  and  man- 
iiifold  benefits,  in  the  estimation  of  the  world,  may  be  the  result 
©f  human  labor.  Learning,  riches,  power,  honor,  and  all  the 
means  of  sensual  and  intellectual  gratification,  may  be  acquired  by 
labor.  But  these  things,  when  viewed  apart  from  God  as  the  chief 
■good,  (the  light  in  which,  we  observe,  it  is  Solomon's  intention  to 
place  them,)  are  all  comprehended  in  the  verdict  already  pro- 
nounced,— "  Vanity  of  vanities ;  all  is  vanity.'^  The  gratification 
which  these  things  impart  is  mingled  with  many  disappointments, 
disquietudes,  and  mortifications.  The  pleasures  which  they  yield 
have  a  large  alloy  of  pains.  They  cannot,  by  themselves,  even 
when  enjoyed  lawfully,  constitute  the  happiness  of  such  a  creature 
as  man.  They  are  neither  commensurate  in  their  duration  with 
his  immortal  existence,  nor  are  they  thoroughly  satisfjang  even 
w"hile  they  last.  The  chief  point  and  emjjhasis  of  the  question  will 
be  felt,  if  we  consider  a  man  as  having  completed  his  labor  under 
the  sun;  having  arrived  at  the  close  of  his  toils.  Suppose  him, 
whatever  may  have  been  the  description  and  the  sphere  of  his  dili- 
gence, to  have  succeeded  to  his  heart's  desire ;  to  have  surmounted 
every  difficulty,  and  attained  every  object  of  his  pursuit: — the 
question  is,  lohat  profit  remainis  to  him  when  he  has  donef  What 
has  he  then,  as  the  proceeds  of  his  industry?  And  alas!  the  ques- 
tion, in  this  view,  admits  of  but  one  answer: — "When  he  dicth,  he 
shall  carry  nothing  away."  (Psal.  xIls.  17.)  This  must  be  the  reply 
as  to  the  man  of  ambition,  the  man  of  wealth,  the  man  of  pleasure. 
Intellectual  acquisitions  form  the  only  seeming  exception:  and  the 
exception  is  no  more  than  apparent.  Even  the  man  of  learning, 
the  philosopher,  the  wise  man  of  this  world,  who  has  devoted  liLs 


14  LECTURE  I. 

life  to  stucly,  and  lias  gone  round,  with  a  master's  step,  the  circle 
of  the  sciences ;  when  he,  as  well  as  the  others,  is  viewed  as  having 
terminated  his  labors,  as  an  immortal  and  accountable  creature, 
closing  his  earthly  career,  and  appearing  before  God,  unpre^^ared 
for  judgment  and  eternity,  unpardoned,  unsanctified,  and  unfur- 
nished for  heaven ; — O  what  can  we  say,  even  of  his  acquirements, 
with  all  their  admitted  superiority  to  the  pleasures  of  sense,  and 
to  the  pursuits  of  power  and  of  opulence,  but  "  Vanity  of  vani- 
ties; vanity  of  vanities ;  all  is  vanity?"  The  simple  fact  stated 
in  the  following  verse  confirms  the  general  sentence  of  "vanity" 
pronounced  on  all  that  pertains  to  time:  "One  generation  passeth 
away,  and  another  generation  cometh."  "What  is  our  life?  It 
is  a  vapour,  which  appeareth  for  a  little,  and  then  vanisheth  away." 
"Our  days  on  earth  (are)  as  a  shadow,  and  (there  is)  no  abiding." 
Turn  your  thoughts  to  the  generation  that  is  already  gone;  whose 
connection  with  the  world  and  with  time  has  already  closed ;  whose 
bodies  fill  the  narrow  house,  and  whose  "  spirits  have  returned  to 
God  who  gave  them :"  what  profit  have  they  now,  of  all  their  la- 
bor which  they  took  under  the  sun  ?  Oh !  with  what  a  bitter  em- 
phasis of  utterance  would  those  who  lived  and  died  strangers  to 
the  blessings  of  religion  and  the  love  of  God;  trying  to  do  with- 
out him;  seeking  their  happiness  in  the  creature;  "hewing  out 
their  broken  cisterns ;"  "  fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of  the 
mind ;" — with  what  a  bitter  emphasis  of  utterance,  could  their  voice 
be  heard  from  beyond  the  impassable  gulf,  would  they  certify 
to  us  the  truth  of  the  verdict, — "all  is  vanity!" 

It  is  always  of  essential  consequence,  in  interpreting  any  ^rriter, 
to  ascertain  his  gener-al  design  in  the  passage  under  review;  the 
point  which  it  is  his  object  to  establish  or  to  illustrate.  And  in 
the  book  on  which  we  are  now  entering,  we  shall  find  much  oc- 
casion for  the  application  of  this  remark. 

In  the  remainder  of  the  verses  which  I  have  read,  that  is,  from 
the  fourth  to  the  eleventh  inclusive,  there  seems  to  be  one  general 
idea  placed  in  various  points  of  light.  It  is,  in  substance,  the 
sentiment  expressed  in  the  end  of  verse  9th,  that  "  (there  is)  no  new 
(thing)  under  the  sun."  It  is  the  idea  of  'perpetual  change,  yet 
constant  sameness;  of  stable  and  unaltering  uniformity,  in  the 
midst  of  incessant  variety  and  fluctuation. 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  1-11.  15 

This  appears  to  be  the  point,  or  hidden  sense,  of  the  different 
figures  contained  in  the  fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  verses. 

Verse  4th.  (One)  generation  passeth  away,  and  (another)  genera- 
tion Cometh;  but  the  earth  abideth  for  ever:" — more  tersely  in  the 
original.  Generation  goeth,  and  generation  cometh;  but  the  earth 
abideth  for  ever. 

This  can  hardly,  indeed,  be  called  a  figure.  It  is,  rather,  a  sim- 
ple statement  of  fact.  It  affords,  however,  a  striking  illustration 
of  the  general  sentiment.  The  coming  and  going  of  successive 
generations,  presents  a  scene  of  endless  variety;  yet  it  is  itself 
fixed  and  unvarying;  the  unalterable  destiny  of  man.  There  is 
nothing  that  impresses  more  affectingly  on  the  mind  the  "vanity" 
of  human  life,  than  the  perpetual  change  of  tenants  that  is  taking 
place  in  this  world  of  ours;  a  change  which  goes  on  without  in- 
terruption; the  scene  presenting  the  same  general  aspects,  whilst 
the  actors  in  it  are  ever  shifting;  the  house  remaining  the  same, 
but  the  lodgers  continually  varying.  "  The  Earth  remaineth  for 
ever:''  that  is,  throughout  these  successive  generations  of  men; 
presenting  to  the  eye  the  same  appearances;  performing  the  same 
daily  and  yearly  revolu^ons;  exhibiting  the  same  alternations  of 
"seed-time  and  harvest,  and  cold  and  heat,  and  summer  and  win- 
ter, and  day  and  night,"  (Gen.  viii.  22) ;  going  on,  from  generation 
to  generation,  in  its  old  original  courses,  whilst  every  thirty  years 
it  receives  a  race  of  new  inhabitants ;  and  that,  not  by  a  jjeriodical 
sweeping  away,  and  a  periodical  creation,  but  on  the  principle  of 
an  average,  calculated  from  numbers  at  every  period  of  life,  at 
every  individ-ual  moment,  perhaps,  of  "  the  three-score  years  and 
ten ;"  by  which  arrangement,  the  variety,  whilst  it  is  the  more  inces- 
sant, is  yet  the  less  perceptible;  and  the  uniformity,  though  in  reality 
not  so  constant,  presents  still  more  of  the  appearance  of  unchang- 
ing sameness.  The  perpetual  stability  of  the  earth  is  nothing, 
alas !  to  man.  Each  individual  can  only  occupy  it  his  short  ap- 
pointed time,  and  must  then  give  place  to  a  successor :  and  in  the 
breasts  of  "men  of  the  world,  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life," 
the  truth  expressed  in  this  verse  can  engender  no  feelings  but 
those  of  indignant  fretfulness  and  mortification.  The  permanence 
of  the  earth  is  but  a  tantalizing  assurance  to  the  man  who  has  it 
not  in  his  j)ower,  however  eagerly  he  may  desire  it,  to  continue 
on  it  as  a  permanent  resident.     Happy  they,  who  "confess  them- 


16  LECTURE  I. 

selves  stVangers  and  pilgrims  on  earth,  and  desire  a  better  coun- 
try, even  a  heavenly;"  who  are  heirs  of  "an  inheritance  incor- 
ruptible, undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away." 

Verse  5th.  The  sun  also  ariseth,  and  the  sun  goeth  claivn,  and 
hasteth  to  his  place  where  he  arose. 

The  Sun  ascends  in  the  morning  from  the  East ;  runs  his  diurnal 
course  across  the  heavens;  sets,  and  disappears;  comes  round  again 
to  the  point  of  rising ;  renews  the  day,  and  repeats  the  same  career : 
light  and  darkness  ever  alternating;  each  successive  day  resem- 
bling that  which  preceded  it:  perpetual  sameness,  yet  incessant 
change. 

The  same  general  idea  is  still  presented,  under  other  figures,  in 
the  sixth  and  seventh  verses: — 

Verses  6,  7.  The  wind  goeth  toward  the  south,  and  turneth  about 
unto  the  north;  it  whirleth  about  continually;  and  the  wind  returneth 
again  according  to  its  circuits.  All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea;  yet 
the  sea  {is)  not  full:  unto  the  place  from  whence  the  rivers  come, 
thither  they  return  again. 

What  so  mutable  as  the  wind?  It  is  the  very  proverb  of  fick- 
leness and  instability ;  "  whirling  about  continually."  Yet,  though 
constantly  varying,  it  presents  no  new  appearances.  There  is  no 
point  of  the  compass  from  which  we  can  say  it  now  blows  for  the 
first  time.  Ten  thousand  times  has  if  blown,  and  in  every  con- 
ceivable degree  of  strength,  from  North,  South,  East,  and  West, 
and  all  the  intermediate  points.  Thus,  whilst  it  is  ever  varying, 
it  is  always  the  same.  There  is  nothing  new  in  its  incessant  and 
capricious  shiftings :  "  it  returneth  again  according  to  its  circuits." 

"All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea;  yet  the  sea  (is)  not  full:"  it 
does  not  overflow,  swelling  above  its  everlasting  boundaries,  not- 
withstanding this  constant  and  copious  influx  of  waters.  The  sea 
gives  back  its  waters  to  the  earth.  By  one  of  Nature's  beautiful 
provisions,  it  is  continually,  by  means  of  the  solar  influence,  send- 
ing up  insensibly  into  the  atmosphere  supplies  of  vapoury  mois- 
ture, which  descend  again  in  silent  dews,  or,  condensing  into  clouds, 
come  down  in  rains  and  snows,  watering  the  ground,  that  would 
otherwise  become  arid  and  unproductive,  and  feeding  the  springs, 
and  streams,  and  rivers,  which  return  again  to  the  sea,  from  which 
they  were  derived.  Thus  there  is  here,  too,  perpetual  change,  yet 
perpetual  uniformity ;  the  same  regular  rotation  of  mutual  sup- 


ECCLESIASTE.S  I.  1-11.  17 

ply;  the  rivers  maintained  from  the  sea,  and  the  sea  kept  full  by 
the  rivers.  In  this  figure,  too,  it  might  perhaps  be  Solomon's  in- 
tention to  insinuate  an  additional  thought;  namely,  the  unsatis- 
factory nature  of  the  sources  of  -worldly  happiness:  "  the  sea  (is) 
not  full."  At  any  rate,  this  is  the  thought  of  the  following  verse, 
"where  it  is  strongly  and  beautifully  brought  out : — 

Verse  8th.  All  things  {are)  full  of  labor;  man  cannot  utter  {it): 
the  eye  is  not  satisfied  ivith  seeing,  neither  is  the  ear  filled  icith  hearing. 

Wherever  you  turn  your  eyes,  in  the  society  especially  of  civi- 
lized men,  "all  is  full  of  labor."  The  departments  and  the  modes 
of  human  exertion,  all  for  the  attainment  of  some  real  or  fancied 
good,  are  endless  in  number,  and  inconceivably  diversified.  Yet, 
amidst  them  all,  and  amidst  all  their  productions  and  results,  "  the 
eye  is  not  satisfied  with  seeing,  nor  the  ear  filled  with  hearing." 
"The  sea  is  not  full."  Still  there  is  something  or  other  awanting; 
and  this  is  made  apparent  by  "all  things  eo?ii/m(«i<7  full  of  labor;" 
without  cessation,  without  conclusion :  men  toiling  after  the  at- 
tainment of  something  that  is  to  make  them  happy,  and,  when 
they  have  succeeded,  toiling  still.  They  seek ;  they  find :  yet  still 
they  want,  and  still  they  labor :  still 

"With  thirst  insatiate  crave  for  more.'' 

The  eye  and  the  ear,  as  being  the  chief  senses,  are  here  put  for  all 
the  desires  of  man,  and  all  the  organs  by  which  they  are  respec- 
tively gratified.  The  general  truth  expressed  is,  that  men,  with 
all  their  endless  labors  after  happiness,  are  still  unsatisfied :  a  truth, 
alas!  not  peculiar  to  the  country  or  the  age  of  Solomon,  but  con- 
firmed by  the  experience  of  every  place,  and  of  every  generation. 

The  uniformity  of  appearances  and  events,  amidst  the  constant 
succession  of  mankind,  is  expressed  in  very  bold  and  vivid  terms 
in  the  following  verses  : — 

Verses  9-11.  The  thing  ichich  hath  been,  it  {is  that)  v;hich  shall 
be;  and  tJmt  which  is  done,  {is)  that  which  shall  be  done:  and  {there 
is)  no  new  [thing)  under  the  sun.  Is  there  {any)  thing  whereof  it  may 
be  said.  See,  this  {is)  new  f  it  hath  been  already  of  old  time  that  ivas 
before  us.  {There  is)  7io  remembrance  of  former  {things):  neither 
shall  there  be  {any)  remembrance  of  things  that  arc  to  come  icith  {those) 
that  shall  come  after. 

It  is  very  obvious,  that  this  language  must  be  interpreted  gene- 
2 


1 8  LECTURE  I. 

rally.  It  cannot  be  understood  as  affirming,  without  qualification 
or  exception,  that  amongst  all  the  endlessly  diversified  modifica- 
tions of  things,  and  of  events ;  all  the  discoveries  and  inventions 
of  science  and  of  art;  and  all  the  changes  in  the  history  of  human 
life;  there  is  absolutely  nothing  new;  nothing  that  hath  not  been 
already  of  old  time.  But  there  is  a  vast  deal  of  what  passes  for 
new,  that  is  really  old.  Every  man  must  be  sensible,  that  even 
his  own  extending  information  has  very  often,  in  this  respect,  cor- 
rected his  earlier  views ;  and  that  many  things  which,  in  his  igno- 
rance, he  had  fancied  to  be  new,  his  growing  acquaintance  with 
the  knowledge  of  former  times  has  shown  him  to  possess  claims 
even  to  high  antiquity.  Now,  that  which  takes  place  in  the  ex- 
perience of  individuals,  may  also  hold  true  with  regard  to  the  suc- 
cessive generations  of  mankind.  Our  ignorance  of  former  times 
is,  accordingly,  appealed  to,  in 

Verse  llth.  There  is  no  remembrance  of  former  things;  neither 
shall  there  be  any  remembrance  of  things  that  are  to  come  ivith  those 
that  shall  be  after.  How  extremely  limited  and  uncertain  is  our 
acquaintance  with  the  ages  of  the  world  preceding  our  own !  The 
constitution  and  phenomena  of  nature  have  been  all  along  the 
same ;  the  powers  and  passions  of  men,  and  the  genera,  and  species, 
and  varieties  of  character,  arising  from  their  diversified  combina- 
tions, have  been  much  the  same ;  their  wants  and  desires,  together 
with  the  means  existing  in  air,  earth,  and  sea,  for  their  supply 
and  gratification,  have  been  the  same :  and  it  seems  natural  to  ex- 
pect, that  similar  circumstances  should  give  birth  to  similar  re- 
sults. There  are,  accordingly,  many  remarkable  vestiges,  not  of 
the  existence,  merely,  but  Jof  the  high  cultivation,  of  various  arts 
and  sciences,  which  at  first  view  might  appear  modern,  in  nations 
and  periods  of  remote  antiquity;  so  that,  in  such  cases,  the  men 
of  recent  days  have  only  the  credit  of  reviving  what  had  been  for- 
gotten. And  so  strong,  indeed,  on  some  minds,  is  the  impression 
produced  by  ancient  remains,  in  favor  of  ancient  times,  that  they 
have  looked  upon  the  present  race  as  mere  children  and  pigmies 
in  knowledge,  and  in  the  power  of  applying  it  to  practical  use, 
compared  with  their  brethren  of  an  earlier  age.  There  is  nothing, 
of  which,  in  these  circumstances,  we  can,  with  certainty,  affirm, 
"This  is  new."  It  is  probable,  that  Solomon's  acquaintance  with 
science  might  appear  to  many  of  his  contemporaries  to  include  in 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  1-11.  19 

it  much  that  was  novel  and  original ;  Avhilst  his  own  superior 
knowledge  of  the  acquirements  of  different  nations  and  of  pre- 
ceding times  might  enable  him  to  ascertain  the  contrary. 

There  are,  in  particular,  (for  this  is  the  main  subject  of  the  book,) 
no  new  sources  of  worldly  happiness.  "Who  will  show  us  any 
good?"  has  been  the  eager  enquiry  of  the  men  of  this  world  from 
the  beginning:  and,  through  successive  ages,  the  answers  to  the 
inquiry,  although  modified  by  circumstances  in  ten  thousand  dif- 
ferent ways,  have,  in  the  leading  principles  of  them,  been  the 
same.  The  multitude  of  mankind  have  all  along  been  "  forsaking 
the  fountain  of  living  waters;"  and  the  "cisterns,"  which  they 
have  "hewed  out  for  themselves,"  have  been  very  much  of  the 
same  description;  diversified,  it  may  be,  in  their  exterior  forms 
and  decorations,  bearing  the  distinctive  shapes  and  symbols  of 
their  respective  ages  and  countries;  but  all,  without  exception, 
alike  the  modern  and  the  antique,  "  broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold 
no  water." 

1.  These  verses  present  before  us,  in  the  first  place,  a  most  im- 
pressive and  satisfactory  testimony  in  favor  of  true  religion,  as  the 
only  source  of  real  and  permanent  happiness.  They  are  the  best 
qualified  to  pronounce  on  the  vanity  and  emptiness  of  the  world, 
who  have  themselves  tried  it  in  all  its  forms  and  modes  of  enjoy- 
ment. Solomon  made  the  experiment,  and  he  "found  it  wanting." 
When,  through' Divine  mercy,  he  "came  to  himself,"  he  renounced 
the  world,  as  "vanity  and  a  thing  of  nought."  With  penitential 
shame  and  sorrow,  he  returned  to  God,  from  whom  he  had  so 
miserably  revolted, — even  to  "the  fountain  of  living  waters," — 
and  found  in  Him  an  all-satisfying  portion,  peace  and  rest,  and 
"  fulness  of  joy,"  and,  in  "  the  keeping  of  his  commandments,  a  great 
reward."  And  such  has  been  the  experience — the  feelingly  re- 
corded experience — of  many  a  one  besides  the  royal  preacher. 
The  insufficiency  and  vanity,  indeed,  of  earthly  things,  as  the  por- 
tion of  an  intellectual,  moral,  and  immortal  being,  ought  to  be 
held  as  a  self-evident  truth,  unsusceptible  of  controversy,  and  re- 
quiring no  proof.     Yet,  alas !  wdiat  cause  have  we  to  remark, — 

2.  In  the  second  place.  What  an  affecting  evidence  it  is,  of  the 
infatuation  and  depravity  of  mankind,  that  neither  the  plainness 
of  the  truth,  nor  the  uniformity  of  the  experience  of  successive 
generations,  produces  any   alteration  whatever  on   their  general 


20  LECTURE  I. 

conduct !  .Men  who  have  made  trial  of  the  world,  and  have  after- 
wards turned  from  it  unto  God,  have  attested,  from  their  personal 
experience,  its  universal  vanity,  and  at  the  same  time,  the  sub- 
stantial and  satisfactory  excellence  of  the  blessings  they  have 
chosen  in  its  stead ;  and  many  a  time,  from  others,  have  the  fear- 
ful solemnities  of  a  death-bed,  and  a  near  view  of  eternity,  drawn 
forth  the  reluctant  confession  of  the  same  truth ;  a  truth  unheeded 
in  the  midst  of  life,  and  business,  and  prosperity,  but  brought 
home  to  the  mind  with  dreadful  certainty,  when  death  has  placed 
the  sinner  on  the  verge  of  the  world  to  come.  Yet,  in  despite  of 
all  this,  men  continue  to  pursue  the  same  course.  They  persist  in 
following  the  world  with  all  avidity,  under  one  or  other  of  its 
various  forms  of  falsely -promised  enjoyment:  just  as  if  no  testi- 
mony of  its  vanity  existed  in  the  experience  of  others ;  in  the  con- 
curring verdict  of  their  own,  consciences ;  in  the  word,  or  in  the 
providence,  of  God !  "  They  that  trust  in  their  wealth,  and  boast 
themselves  of  the  multitude  of  their  riches,  none  (of  them)  can  by 
any  means  redeem  his  brother,  or  pay  to  God  a  ransom  for  him; 
(for  the  redemption  of  their  soul  (is)  precious,  and  it  ceaseth  for 
ever:)  that  he  should  still  live  for  ever,  (and)  not  see  corruption. 
For  he  seeth  (that)  wise  men  die,  likewise  the  fool  and  the  brutish 
person  perish,  and  leave  their  wealth  to  others.  Their  inward 
thought  (is,  that)  their  houses  (shall  continue)  for  ever,  (and)  their 
dwelling-places  to  all  generations:  they  call  (their)  lands  after 
their  own  names.  Nevertheless,  man,  (being)  in  honor,  abideth 
not;  he  is  like  the  beasts  (that)  perish.     This  their  way  (is) 

THEIR  FOLLY  :  YET  THEIR  POSTERITY  APPROVE  THEIR  SAYINGS." 

(Psal.  xlix.  6-13.)  "O  that  men  were  wise;  (that)  they  understood 
these  things ;  that  they  would  consider  their  latter  end !"  Remem- 
ber, ye  infatuated  votaries  of  the  world !  tlie  solemn  hour  is  fast 
approaching,  when  you  must  have  done  with  time,  and  all  its  pass- 
ing concerns.  That  hour  will  infallibly  awaken  you,  if  you  are 
not  happily  awakened  earlier,  to  an  appalling  conviction  of  the 
truth  which  has  now,  and  so  often,  been  urged  upon  your  timely 
consideration.  The  special  hand  of  Death  will  then  write,  in  dark 
but  too  legible  characters,  on  every  thing  from  which  you  have 
been  seeking  your  happiness, — "Vanity  of  vanities;  vanity  of 
vanities ;  all  is  vanity."  O  then,  be  wise  in  time.  You  are  in 
quest  of  what  never  has  been,  and  never  can  be  found,  from  the 


ECCLESIASTES  1.    1-1  L  21 

sources  to  which  you  are  repairing  for  it.  The  search  for  happi- 
ness amongst  "  the  things  of  this  world,"  has  been,  shall  be,  must 
be,  a  fruitless  labor.     It  is  the  toil 

"  Of  dropping  buckets  into  empty  wells, 
And  growing  old  in  drawing  nothing  up." 

To  you  is  the  divine  invitation  addressed,  and  to  all  who  are  feel- 
ing the  thirst  of  nature  for  satisfactory  enjoyment: — "Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters ;  and  he  that  hath  no 
money :  come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  with- 
(Kit  money  and  without  price.  Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for 
(that  which)  is  not  bread?  and  your  labor  for  (that  which)  satisfieth 
not?  Hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  (that  which)  is  good, 
and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness.  Incline  your  ear,  and 
come  unto  me:  hear,  and  your  soul  shall  live."  Isaiah  Iv.  1-3. 
This  expostulation,  addressed  to  you  by  the  God  of  heaven,  in  in- 
finite condescension  and  kindness,  is  recommended  to  your  atten- 
tion and  obedience  by  the  impressive  appeal  of  the  Saviour  of  sin- 
ful men : — "  For,  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  shall  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  ex- 
change for  his  soul?  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come  in  the  glory 
of  his  Father,  with  his  angels;  and  then  shall  he  reward  every 
man  according  to  his  work."  Matt.  xvi.  26,  27.  "What  profit" 
shall  a  man  then  have,  "  of  all  his  labor  which  he  hath  taken  un- 
der the  sun?"  The  favor  of  God;  the  love  of  Christ;  the  bless- 
ing of  Heaven,  mingling  with  all  the  good  and  evil  of  life,  en- 
hancing the  one,  and  sweetening  and  sanctifying  the  other;  the 
"exceeding  great  and  precious  promises"  "of  the  life  that  now  is, 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come," — the  faith  of  which  inspires  "the 
peace  which  passeth  all  understanding;" — the  spiritual  joy  of 
"  fellowship  with  the  Father,  and  with  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,"  and 
with  the  children  of  God,  the  excellent  of  the  earth ;  and  the  blessed 
hope  of  eternal  life, — of  glory  and  honor,  and  immortality ; — these 
are  sources  of  felicity,  worthy  of  your  rational  and  immortal  na- 
tures,— pure  and  dignified,  substantial  and  everlasting.  Believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  come  to  God  in  his  name;  accept  the 
mercy  oifcred,  through  his  mediation,  in  the  gospel ;  and  all  these 
blessings,  in  time  and  eternity,  shall  be  yours.  "O  taste  and  see 
that  the  Lord  is  good!"  "Doth  not  Wisdom  cry?  and  Under- 
standing put  forth  her  voice?     She  standeth  in  the  top  of  high 


22  LECTURE  I. 

places,  by  jihe  way,  in  the  places  of  the  paths ;  she  crieth  at  the 
gates,  at  the  entry  of  the  city,  at  the  coming  in  at  the  doors :  unto 
you,  O  men,  I  call,  and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  men.  O  ye 
simple,  understand  wisdom ;  and  ye  fools,  be  ye  of  an  understand- 
ing heart.  Hear ;  for  I  will  speak  of  excellent  things,  and  the 
opening  of  my  lips  (shall  be)  right  things.  Receive  my  instruc- 
tions, and  not  silver,  and  knowledge  rather  than  choice  gold. 
I  love  them  that  love  me ;  and  they  that  seek  me  early  shall  find 
me.  Riches  and  honor  (are)  with  me;  (yea)  durable  riches  and 
righteousness.  My  fruit  (is)  better  than  gold,  yea,  than  fine  gold ; 
and  my  revenue  than  choice  silver.  I  lead  in  the  way  of  right- 
eousness, in  the  midst  of  the  paths  of  judgment:  that  I  may  cause 
them  that  love  me  to  inherit  substance ;  and  I  will  fill  their  treas- 
ures." Prov.  vii.  1-6,  10,  17-21. 


LECTURE  II. 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18. 

"I  the  Preacher  was  king  over  Israel  in  Jerusalem.  13.  And  I  gave  my  heart 
to  seek  and  search  out  by  wisdom  concerning  all  (things)  that  are  done  un- 
der heaven :  this  sore  travail  hath  God  given  to  the  sons  of  man,  to  be  ex- 
ercised therewith.  14.  I  have  seen  all  the  works  that  are  done  under  the 
sun ;  and  behold,  all  (is)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  15.  (That  which  is) 
crooked  cannot  be  made  straight ;  and  that  which  is  wanting  cannot  be  num- 
bered, 16.  I  communed  with  mine  own  heart,  saying,  Lo,  I  am  come  to 
great  estate,  and  have  gotten  more  wisdom  than  all  (they)  that  have  been 
before  me  in  Jerusalem;  yea,  my  heart  had  great  experience  of  wisdom, 
and  knowledge.  17.  And  I  gave  my  heart  to  know  wisdom,  and  to  know 
madness  and  folly:  I  perceived  that  this  also  is  vexation  of  spirit.  18.  For 
in  much  wisdom  (is)  much  grief;  and  he  that  increaseth  knowledge  in- 
creaseth  sorrow." 

In  pursuing  his  inquiries  and  experiments,  for  ascertaining  the 
chief  good,  the- writer  of  this  Book  possessed,  as  was  formerly  no- 
ticed, peculiar  advantages;  the  situation  which  he  occupied  af- 
fording him  the  fullest  opportunities  of  investigating  and  bringing 
to  the  test  all  the  various  sources  of  worldly  enjoyment. 

AVhen  we  are  about  to  follow  him  in  the  detail  of  his  experi- 
ence, we  should  keep  the  recollection  steadily  before  us,  that  he  is 
speaking  of  that  period  of  his  life  which  he  denominates  "  the  days 
of  his  vanity ;"  when  he  had  forsaken  God,  and  instead  of  saying, 
with  his  godly  father, — "  Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  coun- 
tenance upon  us !" — -joined  in  the  common  cry  of  the  world,  "  Who 
will  show  us  any  good  ?" 

From  the  12th  to  the  15tli  Verse,  inclusive,  appears  to  be  of  a 
general  nature,  expressing,  in  terms  of  unrestricted  import,  the  ob- 
ject of  his  inquiry,  the  extensive  field  of  his  observation,  and  the 
impression  left  upon  his  mind  as  the  result  of  his  survey;  in  which 
he  had  availed  himself  to  the  full  of  all  the  facilities  and  means  of 


24  LECTURE  II. 

discovery,  which  were  furnished  by  his  royal  authority  iind  re- 
sources, as  Icing  over  Israel  in  Jerusalem. 

I  gave  my  heart, — that  is,  I  applied  myself  with  zeal  and 
diligence, — to  seek  and  search  out  by  wisdom, — in  the  close  and 
prudent  and  vigorous  exercise  of  his  mental  powers, — concerning 
all  (things)  that  arc  done  under  heaven.  This  is  generally  under- 
derstood  of  his  scientific  researches  into  the  works  of  nature  and  of 
art.  I  should  rather  interpret  it  of  his  inquiry  into  all  the  end- 
less variety  of  human  occupations  and  pursuits ;  because  such  seems 
to  be  the  meaning  appropriated  in  this  Book  to  the  phrase,  "all 
things  that  are  done  under  the  heaven,"  or  "under  the  sun."  He 
applied  himself  to  the  examination  of  the  sciences  and  arts,  the 
professions  and  labors,  which  occupy  the  time,  the  industry,  and 
the  investigations  of  mankind. 

The  words  in  the  end  of  Verse  13th, — This  sore  travail  hcdh 
God  given  to  the  so7is  of  men,  to  be  exercised  therewith, — are  usu- 
ally considered  as  expressive  of  the  irksomeness,  and  difficulty, 
attending  the  acquisition  of  that  knoAvledge  of  wdiich  Solomon  is 
conceived  to  speak; — God  having  so  ordered  it,  that  unusually 
extensive  acquirements  must  be  the  result  of  severe  application  to 
study,  accompanied,  in  its  course  of  discovery,  with  many  obstacles 
and  perplexities,  much  disappointment  and  mortification,  and  a 
great  variety  of  painful  and  harrassing  feelings.  I  am  disposed, 
however,  to  understand  the  words,  as  simply  explanatory,  or  exe- 
getical,  of  what  immediately  precedes :  "  I  gave  my  heart  to  seek 
and  search  out  by  wisdom,  concerning  all  things  that  are  done  un- 
der heaven;  (even)  that  sore  travail  (which)  God  hath  given  to  the 
sons  of  men,  to  be  exercised  therewith."  That  which  is  "given 
to  the  sons  of  men,  to  be  exercised  therewith,"  must  surely  be 
something  more  general  than  the  investigation  to  which  Solomon 
had  applied  his  heart;  for  which  there  were  then,  and  still  are, 
very  few  who  have  either  the  ability  or  the  leisure.  There  is 
probably,  in  the  words,  a  reference  to  what  he  had  said  a  little 
before,  "  All  things  (arc)  full  of  labor :"  and  the  true  origin  of  this, 
as  the  appointed  condition  of  humanity,  is  to  be  found  in  the  re- 
mote but  divinely  authenticated  records  of  the  entrance  of  sin  into 
the  world : — "  Unto  Adam  He  said,  Because  thou  hast  hearkened 
unto  the  voice  of  thy  wife,  and  hast  eaten  of  the  tree  of  which  I 
commanded  thee,  saying.  Thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it ; — cursed  (is)  the 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18.  25 

ground  for  thy  sake;  in  sorrow  shall  thou  eat  (of)  it  all  the  days 
of  thy  life:  thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it  bring  forth  to  thee; 
and  thou  shalt  eat  the  herb  of  the  field :  in  the  sweat  of  thy  face 
shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto  the  ground ;  for  out  of 
it  wast  thou  taken:  for  dust  thou  (art,)  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou 
return."  Gen.  iii.  17-19. 

This  view  of  the  meaning  of  the  words  is  confirmed  by  the 
parallel  expression  in  chapter  iii.  10,  where  the  connection  leaves 
no  ambiguity ;  "  I  have  seen  the  travail  which  God  hath  given  to 
the  sons  of  men,  to  be  exercised  therewith;" — and  it  agrees  well 
with  what  immediately  follows  here,  in 

Verse  14.  I  have  seen  all  the  xoorks  that  are  done  under  the  sun; 
and  behold,  all  (is)  vanity,  and  vexation  of  spirit. 

Solomon  had  seen  all  the  labors  of  men  in  quest  of  happiness; 
and  he  had  already,  in  the  opening  of  his  treatise,  pronounced  all 
to  be  "vanity,"  yea,  "vanity  of  vanities."  To  this  he  here  adds, 
"vexation  of  spirit." 

Some,  indeed,  from  a  different  etymology  of  the  original  word 
for  vexation,  translate  this  phrase,  "feeding  on  wind;"  and  the 
sense  thus  given  is  good,  and  appropriate.  But  when  we  say,  "all 
is  vanity,  and  feeding  on  wind,"  we  have  cJnly  one  idea  presented 
to  the  mind,  namely,  that  of  unsatisfactory  emptiness.  "  Feeding 
on  wind,"  being  a  strong  figure,  makes  an  addition  to  the  force  or 
emphasis  of  the  preceding  expression,  but  no  addition,  or  very 
little  at  least,  to  its  meaning.  Our  translation,  on  the  contrary, 
Avhilst  it  is  founded  on  a  preferable  etymology,  affords  at  the  same 
time,  an  additional  idea;  and  is,  besides,  evidently  more  consistent 
with  the  different  connections  in  which  the  phrase  occurs  in  this 
Book.  Thus,  for  instance,  in  the  17th  and  18th  verses  of  this 
chapter:  "I  gave  my  heart  to  know  wisdom,  and  to  know  mad- 
ness and  folly ;  I  perceived  that  this  also  is  vexation  of  spirit :  for 
in  much  wisdom  (is)  much  grief;  and  he  that  increaseth  know- 
ledge increaseth  sorrow;"  and  in  chap.  ii.  17:  "therefore  I  hated 
life ;  because  the  work  that  is  wrought  under  the  sun  (is)  grievous 
to  me;  for  all  (is)  vanity,  and  vexation  of  spirit;"  and  verse  22: 
"  For  what  hath  man  of  all  his  labors,  and  of  the  vexation  of  his 
heart,"  (a  word  in  the  original  of  the  same  derivation,)  "wherein 
he  hath  labored  under  the  sun  ?" 

The  labors  of  which  Solomon  here  speaks  must  be  viev,-ed  apart 


26  LECTURE  II. 

from  religion.  Religion  opens  such  sources  of  peace  and  joy,  as 
serve  to  compose,  and  soothe,  and  satisfy  the  spirit,  amidst  all  the 
cares,  and  crosses,  and  disappointments  of  life.  But,  apart  from 
its  supporting  and  cheering  influence,  the  toils  of  men  in  pursuit 
of  happiness,  their  eager  efforts  towards  a  practical  answer  to  the 
question,  "Who  will  show  us  any  good?"  are  assuredly  vexation, 
as  well  as  vanity;  harrassing  the  mind  with  corroding  anxieties; 
fretting  and  souring  it  by  repeated  disappointments;  elevating  it 
at  times  to  precarious  joy, — precarious,  and  therefore  unsatisfac- 
tory; and  more  frequently  overclouding  it  with  dejection  and 
gloom. 

One  great  cause  why  all  is  pronounced  vexation  as  well  as  vani- 
ty, is  stated  in 

Verse  15.  {That  tahich  is)  crooked  cannot  be  made  straight,  and 
that  which  is  wanting  cannot  be  numbered. 

I  shall  not  trouble  you  with  the  different  interpretations  which 
have  been  given  of  these  words,  but  simply  lay  before  you  what 
seems  to  myself,  from  its  agreement  with  the  connection,  and  with 
the  scope  of  the  passage,  to  be  their  true  meaning. 

"  (That  which  is)  crooked  cannot  be  made  straight."  We  have 
a  key  to  the  import  of  this  expression,  in  chap.  vii.  13:  "Consider 
the  work  of  God;  for  who  can  make  (that)  straight  which  he 
hath  made  crooked?"  'This  cannot  refer  to  the  natural  perverse- 
ness  of  mankind,  to  the  crookedness  of  their  dispositions,  their  want 
of  original  rectitude ;  because  it  cannot  with  truth  be  said,  that 
God  hath  made  our  nature  crooked  or  perverse.  On  the  con- 
trary, in  the  close  of  the  same  chapter  it  is  affirmed,  "God  made 
man  upright;  but  they  have  sought  out  many  inventions."  So 
neither,  in  the  words  before  us,  is  there  any  reference  to  the  nature 
of  man ;  but  to  the  dispensations  and  arrangements  of  Divine  Pro- 
vidence. It  is  as  if  the  wise  man  had  said :  "There  is  generally, 
in  the  lot  of  every  man,  something  crooked; — something  or  other 
not  to  his  mind;  w^hich  he  wishes,  and  tries,  and  labors,  to  make 
straight, — to  bend  to  his  liking.  But  providence  orders  it  other- 
wise. His  attempts  are  all  counteracted  and  frustrated.  It  is 
beyond  his  power,  with  all  the  pains  he  can  bestow,  to  correct  the 
evil.  And  by  this  one  circumstance,  the  spirit  of  the  man  who 
seeks  his  happiness  in  the  things  of  time,  and  is  destitute  of  the 
satisfying  portion  of  God's  children,  is  galled  and  irritated.     So 


ECCLESIASTES    I.  12-18.  27 

that,  although  every  thing  else  is  as  he  would  have  it, — all  straight 
and  to  his  mind, — yet,  whilst  this  one  thing  is  crooked,  he  is 
dissatisfied  and  unhappy.  Indeed,  the  more  entirely  every  thing- 
else  is  right,  the  more  bitterly  is  his  pride  mortified,  and  his  spirit 
provoked,  that  this  should  continue  wrong,  and  baffle  his  en- 
deavors to  change  and  to  rectify  it.  He  kicks  against  the  appoint- 
ment of  heaven,  and  "disquiets  himself  in  vain." 

Haman  went  out  from  the  royal  presence,  "joyful  and  with  a 
glad  heart,"  elated  by  the  honors  bestowed  upon  him.  But  the 
special  favor  of  majesty, — "the  glory  of  his  riches,  the  multitude 
of  his  children,  and  his  advancement  above  the  princes  and  ser- 
vants of  the  king," — the  enjoyment  of  the  present,  and  the  an- 
ticipation of  the  future ; — all  "  availed  him  nothing,  so  long  as  he 
saw  Mordecai  the  Jew  sitting  at  the  king's  gate."  Esther  v.  9-13. 
ISTor  are  such  cases  by  any  means  of  rare  occurrence.  Numberless 
are  the  instances  of  this  kind  of  unreasonable  dissatisfaction ;  aris- 
ing from  something  crooked  which  cannot  be  made  straight ;  from 
same  "  dead  fly  "  that  mars  the  fragrance  of  the  ointment :  so  that 
the  name  of  Mordecai  has  become  a  kind  of  proverbial  designa- 
tion for  all  those  little  circumstances,  which,  existing  singly  in  the 
lot  of  individuals,  and  preying  on  their  disapjsointed  spirits,  serve 
to  take  the  relish  out  of  abounding  sweets;  and  it  has  become  the 
familiar  saying  of  common  life,  that  every  mfxn  has  his  Mordecai. 

"And  that  \Vhich  is  wanting  cannot  be  numbered."  This  is 
generally  understood,  I  believe,  as  meaning,  that  the  wants  which 
men  experience  in  their  pursuit  of  happiness, — the  felt  deficiencies, 
discoveijed  in  every  step  of  their  progress, — are  so  many,  and  so 
diversified,  that  they  cannot  be  reckoned  up.  I  rather  think  that 
the  words  contain  a  repetition,  in  different  terms,  of  the  same  idea 
that  is  expressed  in  the  former  part  of  the  verse.  A  man  of  the 
world  is  here  set  before  us,  casting  up  his  accounts ;  taking  an  in- 
ventory of  the  various  items  that  make  up  the  aggregate  of  his  en- 
joyments. The  sum  of  them,  it  may  be,  is  very  large.  But  there 
is  some  particular  article,  on  which  he  has  set  his  heart,  and  which 
he  would  fain  have  it  in  his  power  to  put  into  his  list.  But  his 
wishes  are  vain.  It  is  not  in  his  possession ;  it  is  not  wdthin  his 
reach.  It  is  "wanting,"  and  therefore  "cannot  be  numbered." 
Yet,  without  it,  the  account  is  deficient;  and  the  deficiency  gives 
him  more  uneasiness  and  dissatisfaction,  than  the  entire  sum  of 


28  LECTURE  II. 

his  blessings  gives  him  enjoyment.  It  mixes  all  with  discontent, 
and  thus  poisons  the  whole ;  so  that  all  his  labor  becomes  not  only 
"vanity,"  but  "vexation  of  spirit."  Thus,  amidst  all  the  posses- 
sions and  all  the  splendors  of  royalty,  the  spirit  of  Ahab  M^as  de- 
jected and  unhappy;  and  "he  turned  away  his  face,  and  would  eat 
no  bread,"  because  he  could  not  have  "the  vineyard  of  Naboth 
the  Jezreelite,"  that  he  might  add  to  his  pleasure-grounds  "a  gar- 
den of  herbs."  1  Kings  xxi.  1-6. 

Alas !  for  human  nature,  that  it  should  be  so !  But  so  we  see 
it,  and  feel  it  to  be;  that  we  are  much, more  prone  to  be  displeased 
on  account  of  particular  evils,  than  to  be  satisfied  with  abundant 
and  diversified  good; — to  indulge  in  discontent  because  of  some 
one  solitary  defect,  than  to  cherish  gratitude  for  unnumbered  and 
substantial  blessings.  This  is  a  crooh  in  the  nature  of  our  fallen 
race,  which  nothing  can  effectually  make  straight  but  the  renewing 
energy  of  the  grace  of  God. 

The  first  trial  which  Solomon  represents  himself  as  having  made, 
in  his  course  of  experiments  on  human  happiness,  is  that  of  wis- 
dom : — 

Verses  16-18.  /  communed  with  mine  own  heart,  saying,  Lo  I 
am  come  to  great  estate,  and  have  gotten  more  wisdom  than  cdl  {they) 
that  have  been  before  me  in  Jerusalem;  yea,  my  lieart  had  great  ex- 
perience of  unsdom  and  hioidedge.  And  I  gave  my  heart  to  know 
loisdom,  and  to  knoio  madness  and  folly:  I  'perceived  that  this  also  is 
vexation  of  spirit.  For  in  much  wisdom  {is)  much  grief ;  and  he  thcd 
increaseth  knowledge  incft^easeth  sorrow. 

By  the  wisdom  here  spoken  of  we  may  understand,  all  that 
knowledge,  in  the  various  departments  of  which,  men  are  accus- 
tomed to  seek  gratification  and  enjoyment: — the  knowledge  of 
mankind,  from  present  observation,  and  the  records  of  history ;  of 
the  arts  and  sciences;  of  the  productions  and  phenomena  of  the 
natural  world,  in  its  different  kingdoms;  and,  if  you  will,  of  the 
philosophy  of  mind  and  of  morals,  considered  as  a  branch  of  specu- 
lative and  abstract  investigation. 

God  had  imparted  to  Solomon  a  penetrating  and  capacious  mind, 
in  the  exercises  of  whose  powers  he  acquired  that  distinguished 
superiority  in  wisdom  and  knowledge,  Avhich  made  him  the  ad- 
miration, not  of  his  own  people  only,  but  of  surrounding  countries, 
in  the  age   in  which  he  lived.     "God   gave  Solomon,"  says  the 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18.  29 

Scripture  record,  "wisdom  and  understanding  exceeding  much, 
and  largeness  of  heart,  even  as  the  sand  that  (is)  on  the  sea-shore. 
And  Solomon's  wisdom  excelled  the  wisdom  of  all  the  children 
of  the  east  country,  and  all  the  wisdom  of  Egypt.  For  he  was 
wiser  than  all  men;  than  Ethan  the  Ezrahite,  and  Heman,  and 
Chalcol,  and  Darda,  the  sons  of  Mahol :  and  his  fame  was  in  all 
nations  round  about.  And  he  spake  three  thousand  proverbs; 
iind  his  songs  were  a  thousand  and  five.  And  he  spake  of  trees, 
from  the  cedar-tree  that  (is)  in  Lebanon  even  unto  the  hyssop  that 
springeth  out  of  the  wall :  he  spake  also  of  beasts,  and  of  fowls, 
and  of  creeping  things,  and  of  fishes.  And  there  came  of  all  peo- 
ple to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  from  all  kings  of  the  earth, 
^v'ho  had  heard  of  his  wisdom."  1  Kings  iv.  29-34.  !-  >  '^ 

Had  Solomon  continued,  as  he  did  at  first,  to  use  his  mighty 
intellect  in  subserviency  to  the  glory  of  the  Author  of  his  being 
and  of  all  his  powers,  and  in  humble  dependence  for  true  happiness 
on  Him,  without  whom  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  are  poverty, 
and  all  its  light  darkness; — it  had  been  well.  But  far  otherwise 
did  he  act,  in  "the  days  of  his  vanity."  He  foolishly  expected  to 
find  the  desired  felicity  in  knowledge  itself,  without  being  con- 
ducted by  that  knowledge  to  God,  "the  Father  of  lights,  from 
wdiom  cometh  down  every  good  and  perfect  gift."  He  drank 
greedily  of  the  streams  of  science,  without  tracing  them  to  their 
fountain.  He  expatiated  among  the  works  of  God,  and  forgot 
God  himself. 

When  he  says,  "My  heart  had  great  experience  of  wisdom  and  [v  i  ^ 
knowledge,"  we  may  understand  by  the  lieart  either,  according  to 
a  frequent  use  of  the  Avord  in  Scripture,  tlie  mind  in  general,  try- 
ing and  comparing  the  different  descriptions  of  knowledge;  or, 
more  restrictedly,  the  scat  of  enjoyment, — i)roving,  by  experiment, 
the  tendencies  of  each  in  reference  to  human  happiness.  His  "ex- 
perience" in  this  Nvay  was  "great;" — greater  than  that  of  any  other 
man ;  for  he  was  "  wiser  than  all  men." 

He  "gave  his  heart  to  know  wisdom  and  to  know  madness  and  )-/7 
folly:" — that  is,  either,  in  the  first  place,  to  obtain  a  thorough  dis- 
cernment of  the  amount  of  difference  between  truth  and  error,  and 
between  virtue  and  vice,  propriety  and  absurdity,  in  human  con- 
duct;— to  know  both  sides,  as  subjects  of  philosophical  inquiry 
and  speculation ;  as  things  are  in  general  most  completely  under- 


/ 


30  LECTURE  II. 

stood,  and  most  powerfully  impressed  on  the  mind,  by  means  of 
contrast: — or,  secondly,  to  compare  the  claims  to  preference,  aris- 
ing from  their  influence  respectively  on  present  enjoyment,  of  a 
studious  and  contemplative  life  on  the  one  hand,  and  a  life  of  mad- 
ness and  folly  on  the  other;  of  a  life  devoted  to  learning,  in  the 
various  branches  of  earthly  sciences  and  worldly  wisdom,  and  a 
life  of  thoughtless,  inconsiderate  merriment,  careless  indulgence, 
and  extravagant  riot  and  dissipation.  For,  as  in  our  own  days 
this  latter  course  of  life  has  its  advocates  as  well  as  the  former,  so 
had  it,  we  may  presume,  in  the  days  of  Solomon ;  men  who  ad- 
mitted it  readily  enough  to  be  madness  and  folly,  but  wdio  gloried 
in  the  very  folly  and  madness  of  it,  laughed  at  the  bookish  recluse 
as,  at  any  rate,  a  greater  fool  than  themselves,  moping  away  life  in 
solitary  research  and  rueful  meditation;  and  were  determined  to 
throw  their  cares  to  the  winds,  to  drink  down  melancholy,  to  give 
the  reins  to  their  appetites,  and  take  their  full  swing  of  frolic,  and 
carousal,  and  profligacy. 

To  compare  these  and  other  pretended  sources  of  happiness, 
and  to  estimate  their  respective  claims,  was  a  part  of  his  study. 
But  mark  now,  especially,  what  he  says  of  his  pursuit  of  wisdom : 
"I  perceived  that  this  also  is  vexation  of  spirit:  for  in  much  wis- 
dom is  much  grief;  and  he  that  increaseth  knowledge  increaseth 
sorrow." 

This  seems  a  very  strange  assertion.  There  cannot  be  a  doubt, 
that,  among  all  the  sources  from  which  men  seek  their  happiness, 
the  pursuit  of  knowkdge,  (understanding  the  phrase  in  all  its  ex- 
tent of  meaning,  with  the  one  exception  only  of  the  knowledge 
that  "maketh  wise  unto  salvation,"  which  it  is  evident  must  not 
be  taken  at  all  into  the  account,)  is  decidedly  the  most  rational,  and 
the  most  fitted,  from  its  nature,  to  yield  enjoyment  worthy  of  such 
a  creature  as  man.  Yet  even  of  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  So- 
lomon here  affirms,  that  *'in  much  wisdom  (is)  much  grief;"  and 
that  "  he  that  increaseth  knowledge  increaseth  sorrow."  Let  us, 
first  of  all,  then,  contemplate  human  wisdom  apart  from  the  know- 
ledge of  God  and  Divine  things,  and  take  an  attentive  view  of  the 
circumstances  from  which  the  grief  and  sorrow  of  which  he  speaks 
may  be  considered  as  arising. 

In  the  first  place :  This  wisdom  and  knowledge,  if  a  man  is  de- 
termined to  go  far  beyond  his  fellows  in  the  acquisition  of  it,, 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18.  31 

must  be  discovered,  and  examined,  and  appropriated  by  ^'mueJi 
study ;^^  and  this,  as  Solomon  observes  towards  the  close  of  his  trea- 
tise, is  "  a  weariness  of  thejiesh"  It  is  not  easy  for  the  uninformed 
and  inexperienced  to  imagine  the  fatigue  of  mind,  and  the  con- 
sequent fatigue  of  body,  to  which  the  men  who  devote  their  days 
to  learning  must  lay  their  account  to  subject  themselves.  Solo- 
mon speaks  of  "much  wisdom,"  and  of  the  increase^  or  growing 
abundance  of  knowledge.  Now,  such  extraordinary  attainments 
must  be  purchased  at  the  expense  of  intense  and  constant  appli- 
cation; which  is  inconceivably  more  wasting  and  exhausting  to 
the  constitution,  than  the  hardest  toil  of  the  industrious  laborer; 
and  to  which  many,  earlier  or  later  in  life,  some  with  a  mournful 
and  lamented  prematurity,  have  fallen  victims.  The  incessant 
stretch  of  the  mind's  faculties,  frequent  harassing  and  anxious  per- 
plexity, studious  days  and  sleepless  nights,  must  be  his  portion 
who  sets  his  heart  on  the  attainment  of  unusual  eminence  in  science 
in  general,  or  in  any  of  its  various  departments. 

Secondly:  in  this  pursuit,  as  in  others,  there  are  many  disap- 
pointments to  be  expected,  to  fret,  and  mortify,  and  irritate  the 
spirit : — such  as,  experiments  failing,  some  of  them  perhaps  long- 
continued,  promising,  and  costly; — facts  turning  out  contradic- 
tory, and  unsettling  or  overturning  favorite  theories ; — the  means 
of  prosecuting  a  train  of  discovery  falling  short,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment, it  may  be^  when  they  are  most  desirable ;  trifling  and  worth- 
less results  arising,  after  much  labor,  long-tried  patience,  and  san- 
guine expectation; — the  anticipated  honor  and  pleasure  of  intro- 
ducing a  new  and  important  invention  or  discovery,  the  product 
of  the  experiments  and  investigations  of  years,  lost  on  the  very 
eve  of  arrival,  by  the  priority  of  an  unknown  competitor.  These, 
and  numberless  other  occasions  of  mortification  and  disquietude, 
more  and  less  considerable,  revealed  or  kept  secret  in  the  bosom, 
may  be  expected  in  the  lot  of  the  man  who  devotes  himself  to 
science. 

Thirdly:  There  are  some  parts  of  knowledge  which  are,  in  their 
very  nature,  painful  and  distressing.  In  a  world  where  sin  reigns, 
and  which,  on  account  of  sin,  lies  under  the  curse  of  God,  many 
must  be  the  scenes  of  misery,  many  the  afflicting  occurrences  and 
facts,  which  present  themselves  to  the  observant  and  investigating 
mind,  that  is  in  quest  of  general  and  extensive  information.    They 


32  LECTURE  II. 

abound  both  in  the  past  and  jiresent  history  of  mankind.  They 
are  fitted  to  fill  the  heart  with  "grief"  and  "sorrow;"  and  the 
more  a  man's  knowledge  extends, — the  more  he  reads,  and  hears, 
and  observes, — the  more  copious  will  this  source  of  bitterness  be- 
come. Not  but  that  there  is  much  of  an  opposite  and  pleasing 
description,  as  a  set-oft'  against  those  evils;  but  it  is  enough,  that 
there  are  actually  causes  of  positive  distress,  and  causes  that  ne- 
cessarily multiply  with  the  growing  extent  of  a  man's  knowledge. 

Fourthly:  There  is  to  be  taken  into  account  the  mortification  of 
pride  that  must  be  experienced,  in  consequence  of  the  limited  na- 
ture of  the  human  faculties.  There  are,  in  every  direction  in  which 
the  mind  may  choose  to  push  its  inquiries,  boundaries,  beyond 
which  it  attempts  in  vain  to  penetrate.  And  when  the  man  who 
makes  scientific  research  his  supreme  good,  and  the  main  object 
of  his  life,  finds,  that  in  every  department  of  investigation  he  ar- 
rives at  some  point  beyond  Avhich  his  powers,  strained  to  their  ut- 
most effort,  cannot  carry  him, — at  some  subject  that  baffles  all  his 
endeavors  to  com^jrehend  it, — some  questions  which  he  cannot  an- 
swer,— some  difficulty  which  he  cannot  solve; — that  the  most  lu- 
minous path  of  discovery  terminates  at  length  in  impenetrable  ob- 
scurity : — there  is  apt  to  spring  up,  in  the  natural  mind,  an  in- 
dignant dissatisfaction,  the  offspring  of  the  unsubdued  pride  and 
self-sufficiency  of  intellect,  which  cannot  fail  to  produce,  and  some- 
times in  a  very  high  degree,  disquietude  and  "  vexation  of  spirit." 

Fifthly:  There  is  a  similar  feeling  of  mortification,  arising  from 
the  very  circumstance  that,  Avith  all  the  knowledge  and  wisdom 
that  are  acquired,  there  is  still  a  blank,  still  a  consciousness  of 
want  and  deficiency,  in  regard  to  true  happiness.  I  do  not  mean 
tlie  want  of  any  additional  knowledge, — the  want  of  something  of 
the  same  kind  that  has  not  been  attained,  and  the  attainment  of 
which  seems  difficult  or  hopeless; — but  a  want  which  even  such 
additional  attainments  could  not  supply.  The  man  himself,  while 
sensible,  irksomely  sensible  of  it,  may  not  be  well  aware  what  it 
is,  or  whence  it  arises ;  he  may  feel  it,  Avithout  knowing  how  it  is 
to  be  removed.  He  may  sigh  for  the  unknown  something,  and 
wonder  that  he  should  not  be  happy.  And  few  things  can  be  con- 
ceived more  galling  to  the  spirit,  more  vexatiously  mortifying, 
more  fitted  to  fill'  a  man  with  desperation,  and  with  a  fretful  and 
sullen  "  hatred  of  all  his  labor  which  he  hath  taken  under  the  sun," 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18.  33 

titan  this  bitter  consciousness,  that  with  all  his  study,  all  his  re- 
search, all  his  learning,  all  his  varied  acquirements,  there  should 
still  exist  such  a  sense  of  want,  as  to  full  satisfaction  and  happi- 
ness. 

Sixthly:  The  man  of  "much  wisdom"  and  "increased  know- 
ledge," generally,  if  not  universally,  becomes  the  marked  object 
of  the  scorn  of  some,  and  the  envy  of  others.  Some  depreciate  his 
studies  and  all  their  results,  laugh  at  them,  and  hold  them  up  to 
contempt  and  ridicule.  Others  are  stung  with  secret  jealousy ; 
which  is  the  odious  parent  of  all  the  hidden  arts  of  detraction  and 
calumny,  and  of  injurious  and  unworthy  attempts  to  deprive  him 
of  his  well-earned  honors,  and  "to  cast  him  down  from  his  excel- 
lency." And  it  is  not  merely  the  apprehended  or  the  suffered  con- 
sequences of  such  mean  and  wicked  arts  that  is  distressing;  to  a 
mind  of  generous  and  honorable  feeling,  it  must  be  grief  and  "  vexa- 
tion of  spirit,"  even  to  be  the  object  of  passions  so  vile  and  devilish. 

Lastly:  There  is  yet  another  consideration,  which  to  some  of 
you  may  seem  far-fetched,  but  which  I  cannot  forbear  noticing. 
The  man  who  occupies  his  powers  in  the  pursuit  and  acquisition 
of  human  wisdom  alone,  careless  of  God,  and  uninfluenced  by  re- 
gard to  his  authority  and  to  his  glory,  is  leaving  eternity  a  wretched 
blank ;  has  no  solid  and  satisfactory  support  in  the  anticijmtion  of 
it,  when  the  thought  intrudes  itself  upon  his  mind ;  and  is  treasur- 
ing up  grief  and  sorrow  for  the  close  of  his  career.  God  having 
been  neglected,  his  powers  must  be  considered,  in  the  Divine  esti- 
mate, and  in  the  estimate  of  an  awakened  conscience,  as  having 
been  wasted  and  abused ;  science  will  not  yield  him  peace  and  hope 
in  the  "valley  of  the  shadow  of  death ;"  and  a  neglected  God  will 
call  him  to  account  for  the  use  made  of  those  faculties  which  he 
himself  had  bestowed,  and  of  whose  exercise  He  ought  himself  to 
have  been  the  first  and  highest  object.  However  lawful,  nay, 
however  apparently  excellent  and  honorable  his  pursuits  them- 
selves may  have  been,  the  reckoning  will  be  fearful,  when  God  is 
found  to  have  been  awanting: — fearful! — ^and  justly  fearful!  In 
proportion  to  the  greatness  and  variety  of  the  powers  conferred, 
and  the  capabilities  thence  arising,  will  the  shame  and  remorse  be 
deep,  and  the  guilt  and  punishment  aggravated. 

Whilst  such  considerations  as  these  may  serve  to  vindicate  and 
illustrate  the  affirmation  that  "in  much  wisdom  (is)  much  grief, 
<> 


34  LECTURE  11. 

and  tli<it  he  who  increaseth  knowledge  increaseth  sorrow;"  it  is 
necessary  to  observe,  that  Solomon  does  not  by  any  means  say, 
that  in  "much  wisdom  and  increase  of  knowledge"  there  is  no  en- 
joyment. That  were  a  very  diiFerent  proposition.  There  may 
and  must  be  enjoyment, — various  in  kind  and  in  degree.  But, 
like  the  enjoyment  springing  from  every  worldly  and  temporal 
source,  it  is  mixed  with  much  of  an  opposite  character.  And 
therefore  it  is,  that  such  wisdom  and  knowledge,  considered  by 
themselves,  apart  from  something  still  higher  and  still  better,  con- 
sidered as  constituting  tlie  Jiappiness  of  the  man  who  seeks  and 
possesses  them,  must  ever  be  found  vain ; — can  never  be  a  suf- 
ficient portion  to  the  immortal  soul,  especially  in  its  anticipations 
of  eternal  existence;  can  never  impart  to  the  mind  full,  and  steady, 
and  permanent  satisfaction. 

The  passage,  thus  explained,  suggests  two  concluding  reflec- 
tions : — 

1.  In  the  first  place: — "Godliness  with  contentment  is  great 
gain."  1  Tim.  vi.  6.  If  it  is  impossible  for  a  man,  with  all  his 
labor  and  all  his  skill,  to  control  the  administration  of  providence, 
to  command  events,  and  to  order  all  the  circumstances  of  his  lot 
exactly  to  his  mind ;  if  universal  experience  confirms  the  truth, 
that  "  that  which  is  crooked  cannot  be  made  straight,  and  that 
which  is  wanting  cannot  be  numbered ;"  then,  the  secret  of  true 
happiness  must  consist,  in  having  the  mind  reconciled  to  that 
which  is  crooked,  and  to  that  which  is  deficient; — in  being  sub- 
missive to  all  the  arrangements  of  the  Supreme  will.  Such  sub- 
mission can  only  arise  from  the  confidence  of  faith  in  the  wisdom, 
faithfulness,  and  love,  of  our  heavenly  Father,  and  the  assurance 
of  his  universal  and  unceasing  care  of  all  the  interests  of  his  chil- 
dren. "Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing?  yet  one  of 
them  shall  not  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father.  But  the 
very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered."  Matt.  x.  29,  30.  This 
is  our  encouragement  to  "  cast  all  our  cares  upon  him :  He  caretli 
for  us.,"  It  is  when  we  avail  ourselves  of  the  precious  privilege, — 
"  in  every  thing  by  prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving, 
to  make  our  requests  known  unto  God," — that  "the  peace  of 
God  which  passeth  all  understanding  keeps  our  heart  and  mind 
through  Christ  Jesus."  Phil.  iv.  6, 7.  "We  know  that  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18.  35 

called  according  to  (his)  purpose."  Rom:  viii.  28.  "That  which 
is  crooked"  and  "that  which  is  wanting"  may  thus  be  numbered 
amongst  our  very  benefits,  as  contributing,  according  to  the  de- 
sign of  Him  who  gives  and  withholds  at  his  pleasure,  to  ad- 
vance our  best  and  highest  interests;  to  spiritualize  our  affections; 
to  disengage  our  hearts  from  the  world;  to  save  us  from  the  dan- 
ger of  making  it  our  portion ;  to  draw  us  away  from  all  its  sinful 
pleasures,  and  to  moderate  and  sanctify  our  attachment  even  to 
its  lawful  enjoyments;  to  bring  us,  in  the  state  of  our  minds  and 
the  tenor  of  our  conduct,  into  more  full  conformity  to  the  spirit  of 
the  apostolic  admonition: — "But  this  I  say,  brethren,  the  time  (is) 
short.  It  remaineth,  that  both  they  that  have  wives  be  as  though 
they  had  none ;  and  they  that  weep  as  though  they  wept  not ;  and 
they  that  rejoice  as  though  they  rejoiced  not;  and  they  that  buy 
as  though  they  possessed  not;  and  they  that  use  this  world  as  not 
abusing  (it) ;  because  the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away."  1 
Cor.  vil.  29-31.  In  such  a  world,  my  brethren,  as  that  which  we 
inhabit,  where  there  are  so  many  wants  that  cannot  be  supplied, 
and  evils  that  cannot  be  avoided,  he  is  the  truly  happy  man,  who 
has  been  taught  of  God  the  rare  and  precious  lessons  of  content- 
ment in  all  conditions; — "Not  that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want; 
for  I  have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  (therewith)  to  be 
content.  I  know  both  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  how  to 
abound :  everywhere,  and  in  all  things  I  am  instructed,  both  to  be 
full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound,  and  to  suffer  need :"  Phil, 
iv.  11-12;  he  is  the  truly  happy  man  who  in  prosperity  and  ad- 
versity sees  the  love  of  a  father, — in  the  former,  "crowning  him 
with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mercies,"  in  the  latter,  "  cor- 
recting him  for  his  profit;" — and  who  is  prepared  to  say,  under 
all  the  trials  and  bereavements  of  life,  when  he  feels  his  inability 
to  rectify  that  which  is  crooked,  or  to  number  that  which  is  want- 
ing,— "The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Lord!" — "Shall  we  receive  good  at  the  hand 
of  the  Lord,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  also?"  Job  i.  21.  ii.  10. 
2.  In  the  second  jDlace :  There  is  one  description  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge,  that  is  infinitely  excellent  and  desirable; — not  the 
source  of  grief  and  sorrow,  but  the  fountain  of  pure  and  everlasting 
joy.  "  This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee,  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent."  John  xvii.  J. 


36  LECTURE  II. 

Here  is  knowledge  worth  having  and  worth  seeking :  infinitely 
exalted  in  its  subject,  and  unutterably  precious  in  its  results.  Were 
a  man  to  possess  all  knowledge  besides  this ;  to  concentrate  in  his 
own  mind  the  collected  science  of  all  countries  and  of  all  gene- 
rations; the  want  of  this  would  turn  all  to  "vanity  and  vexation 
of  spirit."  And,  on  the  contrary,  the  most  ignorant  and  illiterate 
of  mankind,  as  to  other  branches  of  knowledge,  if  possessed  of 
this,  is  truly  wise;  for  he  is  "wise  toward  God,"  "wise  unto  sal- 
vation," wise  for  eternity.  Even  now,  this  wisdom  imparts  the 
purest  and  most  elevated  delight,  amidst  all  the  trying  vicissi- 
tudes of  this  valley  of  tears.  The  pleasures  that  arise  from  other 
kinds  of  knowledge  are  themselves  mingled  with  "grief  and  sor- 
row," and  are  incapable  of  imparting  to  the  soul  any  solid  and 
effectual  consolation  and  support  under  the  other  troubles  of  life : 
and  when  we  look  forward,  and  anticipate  the  close  of  this  earthly 
scene,  we  behold  this  wisdom  ending  in  the  enjoyment  and.  fulfil- 
ment of  good  hppe, — in  the  possession  of  everlasting  and  un- 
mingled  felicity ; — and  every  other,  however  valued,  and  pursued, 
and  applauded  by  men,  terminating  in  despair,  and  darkness,  and 
eternal  shame. 

The  gospel  of  Christ, — ^the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  though  es- 
teemed foolishness  by  men, — is  "the  power  of  God,  and  the  wis- 
dom of  God."  It  is  the  study  of  angels.  They  desire  to  look 
in.to  it.  They  explore  its  sublime  mysteries  with  intense  and  un- 
wearied delight.  "  If  any  man  among  you,  then,  seemeth  to  be 
wise  in  this  world,  let  him  become  a  fool  that  he  may  be  wise." 
You  can  never  be  truly  and  profitably  wise,  but  by  sitting  down 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  "  learning  of  him."  Here,  my  friends, — 
in  this  blessed  Book,  "  given  by  inspiration  of  God," — here,  are 
the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  An  acquaintance  with 
its  precious  contents  may  not  procure  you  a  reputation  for  wisdom 
in  the  world :  may  not  enrol  your  names  amongst  its  honored  and 
applauded  sages ;  but  it  will  procure  for  you  what  is  infinitely  more 
valuable,  "  the  honor  that  cometh  from  God  only."  Let  Chris- 
tians seek,  above  all  things,  that  they  may  grow  in  this  know- 
ledge ; — the  knowledge  of  the  Divine  word,  in  all  its  inexhausti- 
ble riches  and  variety  of  contents; — never  losing  sight  of  him  who 
is  "the  sum  and  substance  of  the  word" — the  reality  of  legal  sha- 
dows, the  spirit  of  prophecy,  and  the  glorious  theme  of  apostolic 


ECCLESIASTES  I.  12-18.  37 

testimony.  "Let  the  word  of  Christ  dwell  in  you  richly."  In 
much  ofthi^  wisdom,  there  is  much  gladness,  and  he  that  increaseth 
this  knowledge  increaseth  joy.  "My  son,  if  thou  wilt  receive  my 
words,  and  hide  my  commandments  with  thee;  so  that  thou  in- 
cline thine  ear  unto  wisdom  (and)  apply  thine  heart  to  understand- 
ing; yea,  if  thou  criest  after  knowledge,  (and)  liftestup  thy  voice 
for  understanding ;  if  thou  seekest  her  as  silver,  and  searchest  for 
her  as  (for)  hid  treasures;  then  shalt  thou  understand  the  fear  of 
the  Lord,  and  find  the  knowledge  of  God.  For  the  Lord  giveth 
wisdom;  out  of  his  mouth  (cometh)  knowledge  and  understand- 
ing. He  layeth  up  sound  wisdom  for  the  righteous:  (he  is)  a 
bucklef  to  them  that  walk  uprightly.  He  keepeth  the  paths  of 
judgment,  and  preserveth  the  way  of  his  saints.  Then  shalt  thou 
understand  righteousness,  and  judgment,  and  equity;  (yea,)  every 
good  path."  Proverbs  ii.  1-9. 


LECTURE  III. 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  1-11. 

"I  said  in  mine  heart,  Go  to  now,  I  will  prove  thee  with  mirth;  therefore  en- 
joy pleasure:  and,  behold,  this  also  (is)  vanity.  2.  I  said  of  laughter,  (It 
is)  mad :  and  of  mirth.  What  doeth  it  ?  3.  I  sought  in  mine  heart  to  give  my- 
self unto  wine,  yet  acquainting  mine  heart  with  wisdom ;  and  to  lay  hold 
on  folly,  till  I  might  see  what  (was)  that  good  for  the  sons  of  men,  which 
they  should  do  under  the  heaven  all  the  days  of  their  life.  4.  I  made  me 
great  works;  I  buildedme  houses;  I  planted  me  vineyards :  5.  I  made  me 
gardens  and  orchards,  and  I  planted  trees  in  them  of  all  (kind  of)  fruits: 
6.  I  made  me  pools  of  water,  to  water  therewith  the  wood  that  bringeth 
forth  trees:  7.  I  got  (me)  sen-ants  and  maidens,  and  had  servants  born  in 
my  house;  also  I  had  great  possessions  of  great  and  small  cattle  above  all 
that  were  in  Jerusalem  before  me:  8.  I  gathered  me  also  silver  and  gold, 
and  the  peculiar  treasure  of  kings  and  of  the  provinces :  I  gat  me  men- 
singers  and  women-singers,  and  the  delights  of  the  sons  of  men,  (as)  musical 
instruments,  and  that  of  all  sorts.  9.  So  I  was  great,  and  increased  more 
than  all  that  were  before  me  in  Jerusalem :  also  my  wisdom  remained  with 
me.  10.  And  whatsoever  mine  eyes  desired  I  kept  not  from  them ;  I  with- 
held not  my  heart  from  any  joy;  for  my  heart  rejoiced  in  all  my  labor:  and 
this  was  my  portion  of  all  my  labor.  11.  Then  I  looked  on  all  the  works 
that  my  hands  had  wrought,  and  on  the  labor  that  I  had  labored  to  do ;  and, 
behold,  all  (was)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit,  and  (there  was)  no  profit 
under  the  sim." 

In  the  16th  verse  of  the  first  chapter,  Solomon  speaks  of  his 
having  "communed  with  his  own  heart."  It  appears  to  be  this 
kind  of  communing  that  he  carries  on  in  the  beginning  of  the  second. 
As  the  rich  man  in  the  parable  is  represented  as  addressing  his  soul, 
— "  I  will  say  to  my  soul.  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid  up  for 
many  years,  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry," — so  does 
Solomon  here  address  himself  to  his  heart : 

Verse  1.  Come,  says  he,  Ivnll  prove  thee  with  mirth.  Wis- 
dom, thou  hast  found,  will  not  suffice  to  give  thee  the  satisfaction 
thou  seekest ;  let  me  try  thee,  then,  with  something  else.     In  much 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  1-11.  39 

wisdom,  thou  hast  discovered,  there  is  much  grief;  try,  then,  what 
mirth  can  do  to  make  thee  happy.  In  this  enjoy  ])leasure.  See  is 
if  pleasure,  or  happiness,  lies  here. 

The  word  pleasure  is  not,  I  apprehend,  to  be  here  understood  in 
the  restricted  sense  in  which  we  frequently  use  it,  as  nearly  synony- 
mous with  the  mirth  to  which  Solomon  determined  to  have  re- 
course ;  but  in  the  more  enlarged  and  general  sense  of  happiness, — 
that  which  was  the  great  object  of  inquiry  and  pursuit;  that  on 
which  the  course  of  experiments  was  making:  "Come,  I  will 
prove  thee  with  mirth:  in  it  enjoy  happiness ;'' — more  literally, 
Ivl^^it  see  good: — try  this  new  source  of  enjoyment;  whether  it 
will  any  better  suit  thy  taste,  and  fill  up  thine  unsatisfied  wishes. 

Here,  then,  we  behold  the  king  of  Israel  descending  from  the 
pleasures  of  learning  to  the  pleasures  of  sense.  He  now  appears 
before  us,  surrounded  with  the  gay,  the  witty,  the  mirthful,  the 
voluptuous,  the  profligate:  those  choice  spirits,  as  they  counted 
and  called  themselves  and  one  another,  who  fancied  the  secret  of 
happiness  to  lie,  in  banishing  all  reflection,  in  laughing  at  pre- 
ciseness  and  melancholy,  and  drowning  care  in  merriment  and 
revelry. 

He  did  not,  however,  relinquish  entirely  his  former  pursuits. 
In  the  third  verse,  he  informs  us,  that  whilst  he  sought  to  give 
himself  unto  wine,  and  to  lay  hold  on  folly,  he  still  acquainted 
his  heart  with  wisdom  ;  and,  in  the  ninth  verse,  that  "  his  wisdom 
also  remained  with  him."  In  the  pursuits  of  wisdom  he  had 
found  pleasure;  but  it  was  a  pleasure  mingled  with  much  grief 
and  sorrow.  It  seems,  therefore,  to  have  been  his  next  plan,  not  to 
relinquish  these  pursuits  in  disgust,  but,  whilst  he  continued  to 
enjoy  the  satisfaction  they  were  fitted  to  impart,  to  overcome  and 
banish  the  griefs  which  they  had  occasioned ; — to  retain  the  pleas- 
ure, and  to  drown  the  care.  He  still,  therefore,  occupies  a  portion 
of  his  time  in  the  studies  before  described ;  and  a  great  part  of  the 
remainder  he  devoted  to  the  banqueting  room, — to  the  social 
pleasures  of  jovial  festivity. 

But  instead  of  "mirth"  answering  the  purpose  either  of  making 
him  happy  by  itself,  or  of  supplying  the  deficiencies  of  wisdom, 
he  pronounces  upon  it  the  same  verdict: — "and  behold,  this  also 
is  vanity."  His  inquiry  was,  Where  shall  happiness  be  found? 
and  where  is   the  place  of  true  enjoyment? — and  intemperate 


40  LECTURE  III. 

mirth,  like  human  science  and  earthly  wisdom,  said,  but  with  still 
more  impressive  emphasis.  It  is  not  in  me. 

Verse  2.  /  said  of  laughter  (It  is)  mad:  and  of  mirth,  What 
doeth  itf 

This  seems  to  have  been  his  language  to  himself,  when  his  sea- 
sons of  merriment  were  over,  and  he  began,  in  his  moments  of 
cool  sobriety,  to  "  commune  with  his  heart,"  and  to  reflect  seriously 
on  what  he  had  been  about.  It  is  the  record  of  dear-bought  ex- 
perience; designed  by  him  for  the  warning  of  others,  after  his 
own  soul  had  been  mercifully  recovered  from  the  perilous  mazes 
of  error  and  sin  in  which  he  had  gone  astray : — "  I  said  of  laughter, 
(It  is)  mad."  The  intemperate  mirth  in  which  he  had  indulged 
was  like  a  temporary  phxenzy ;  during  which,  reason  and  religion 
were  alike  dethroned  from  the  empire  of  the  mind,  and  all  was 
wild  and  tumultuous  disorder.  It  was,  surely,  much  liker  the 
fancy  of  a  deranged  than  of  a  sound  and  collected  mind,  that  true 
happiness  could  consist  in  mere  thoughtless  and  unbridled  merri- 
ment; and  it  was  the  act  of  such  a  mind  to  bring  this  fancy  to 
practical  experiment.  We  pity  from  the  heart  the  hapless  sub- 
jects of  mental  derangement,  who  are  insensible  of  their  melan- 
choly lot,  and  who  seem,  in  the  midst  of  real  wretchedness,  to  en- 
joy an  imaginary  felicity: 

Moody  madness,  laughing  wild, 

Amid  severest  wo 

is,  of  all  the  sufferings  of  this  valley  of  tears,  the  most  deeply 
touching.  And  what  shall  we  think  of  the  soundness  of  that 
man's  intellect,  and  with  what  description  of  feelings  are  we  to 
contemplate  him,  who,  surrounded  with  scenes  so  many  and  so 
various,  both  in  private  and  in  public  life,  of  a  nature  fitted  to 
awaken  to  serious  thoughtfulness,  and  acknowledging  himself, 
too,  an  accountable  and  immortal  being,  yet  makes  the  banishment 
of  thought  the  problem  of  his  life ;  seeks  his  happiness  in  the  ab- 
sence of  all  reflection;  devotes  himself  to  uurestained  mirth  amidst 
a  world  of  wo;  and  to  unreflecting  laughter  and  jollity  with  the 
grave  and  the  judgment-seat  before  his  eyes?  Is  this  any  thing 
short  of  the  insensibility  of  madness?  Does  the  Christian  poet 
use  too  bold  a  comparison, — or  does  he  not  rather  "speak  the 
words  of  truth  and  soberness," — when  he  compares  such  men  to 
"  maniacs  dancing  in  their  chains?"     It  was  the  language  of  heart- 


ECCLESIASTES   II.   1-11.  41 

stricken  feeling, — the  language  of  deep  experimental  conviction, — 
that  Solomon  used  when  he  said  of  such  laughter,  "  It  is  mad," 
and  of  mirth  like  this,  "What  doeth  it?"  What  doeth  it  toward 
the  production  of  true  happiness?  What  is  enjoyed  that  deserves 
the  name,  even  during  its  boisterous  reign?  and  what  remains 
from  it  when  that  reign  is  over?  "Even  in  laughter,"  (such  is 
the  record  elsewhere  of  his  own  experience,) — "  Even  in  laughter, 
the  heart  is  sorrowful ;  and  the  end  of  that  mirth  (is)  heaviness ;" 
Prov.  xiv.  13:  "for,  as  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot,  so  (is) 
the  laughter  of  the  fool."  Eccl.  vii.  6.  Thoughtless  mirth,  in  a 
creature  that  has  so  much  as  man  has  to  make  him  serious,  is  in 
itself  irrational;  and  although,  by  those  who  give  themselves  up 
to  it,  it  is  called  "a  cure  for  the  heart-ache,"  it  is  far,  very  far, 
alas !  from  deserving  the  designation.  It  is,  after  all,  but  a  poor 
and  flimsy  covering,  either  for  the  cares  of  an  anxious  mind,  or 
the  secret  stingings  of  an  accusing  conscience,  or  the  restlessness  of 
a  spirit  that  is  ill  at  ease,  and  dissatisfied  with  itself.  And  "the 
end  of  that  mirth  (is)  heaviness."  It  yields  no  subsequent  satis- 
faction. The  "yesterday"  of  intemperate  folly  "looks  not  back- 
ward with  a  smile."  In  proportion  to  the  previous  elevation  of 
the  spirits  is  the  depth  of  the  subsequent  depression.  The  lees  of 
the  debauch  are  bitter.  When  the  effervescence  of  the  animal 
spirits  is  over,  and  the  mind  subsides  into  itself,  it  feels  but  "an 
aching  void."  The  blaze  of  crackling  thorns  is  violent  and  noisy, 
and,  withal,  while  it  lasts,  wonderfully  cheerful  and  enlivening; 
but  quickly  it  dies  away,  and  leaves  nothing  behind  but  darkness 
and  unsightly  ashes. 

The  "  mirth  "  to  which  Solomon  thus  addicted  himself  we  have 
considered  as  the  mirth  of  festive  conviviality : — and  I  need  not 
say  that  to  such  mirth  the  free  circulation  of  the  bottle  and  the 
glass  is,  in  the  estimation  of  the  bons  vivans,  an  indispensable  re- 
quisite. How  can  a  company  be  merry  without  wine?  This,  ac- 
cordingly, is  not  awanting  in  Solomon's  experiment: 

Verse  3.  I  sovx/ht,  says  he,  to  give  myself  unto  wine; — that  is,  not 
to  the  grovelling  practice  of  solitary  drinking,  as  a  mere  gratifica- 
tion of  animal  appetite,  or  means  of  intoxication ;  but  to  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  social  board: — he  resolved,  to  "eat,  and  to  drink,  and 
to  be  merry." 

He  determined,  at  the  same  time,  still  to  acquaint  his  heart 


42  LECTUKE  III. 

with  wisdom.  Some,  it  is  true,  understand  this,  of  his  wisely 
regulating  his  indulgences,  applying  prudence  and  discretion  to 
his  pleasures,  enjoying  without  exceeding.  It  seems  more  natural 
to  inter])ret  it  as  already  hinted,  of  his  not  renouncing  his  literary 
and  philosophical  pursuits,  but  connecting  them  with  the  pleasures 
of  wine  that  "  maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man ;"  associating  the  two 
descriptions  of  gratification,  the  sensual  and  the  intellectual,  the 
grosser  and  the  more  refined.  And,  indeed,  it  is  hardly  to  be 
supposed,  that  when  the  heart  was  "given  to  wine"  as  a  source 
of  pleasure,  and  given  to  it  amidst  the  "mirth"  of  the  convivial 
banquet,  it  was  used  by  the  rule  and  the  measure  of  prudential 
restraint,  and  exemplary  self-government;  that,  in  this  species  of 
indulgence,  the  royal  philosopher  "  let  his  moderation  be  known 
unto  all  men." 

Whilst  he  thus  continued  to  "acquaint  his  heart  with  wisdom," 
he,  at  the  same  time,  "sought  to  lay  hold  on  folly;"  by  which  he 
seems  to  mean  the  folly  he  had  just  mentioned.  He  endeavored 
to  combine  the  two.  He  tried  each,  and  he  tried  both  together. 
And  this  he  did  that  he  might,  as  he  here  expresses  it,  see  what 
was  that  good  for  the  sons  of  men,  which  they  should  do  under  the 
heaven,  all  the  days  of  their  life; — that  is,  in  consistency  with  the 
object  and  scope  of  the  whole  Book,  that  he- might  discover,  by 
his  own  experience,  what  was  the  best  and  happiest  way  of  spend- 
ing this  mortal  life: — and  having  thus  briefly  noticed  his  trial  of 
the  "lust  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  mind,"  he  adds,  in  the  following 
verses,  a  fuller  and  a  very  spirited  description  of  the  experiment 
to  which  he  brought  "the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life." 

Yerses  4-11.  /  made  me  great  works;  I  huilded  me  houses;  I 
planted  me  vineyards;  I  made  me  gardens  and  orchards,  and  I  planted 
trees  in  them  of  all  {kind  of)  fruits;  I  made  me  pools  oficater,  to  water 
therewith  the  wood  that  bringeth  forth  trees;  I  got  (me)  servants  and 
maidens,  and  had  servants  born  in  my  house;  also  I  had  great  pos- 
sessions of  great  and  small  cattle  above  all  that  were  in  Jerusalem  be- 
fore me;  I  gathered  me  also  silver  and  gold,  and  the  peculiar  treasure 
of  kings  and  of  the  provinces ;  I  gat  me  men-singers  and  women- 
singers,  and  the  delights  of  the  sons  of  men,  {as)  musical  instruments, 
and  that  of  all  sorts.  So  I  was  great,  and  increased  more  than  all 
that  ivere  before  me  in  Jerusalem:  also  my  wisdom  remained  with  me. 
And  whatsoever  mine  eyes  desired  I  kept  not  from  them;  I  withheld 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  1-11.  43 

not  my  heart  from  any  joy:  foi'  my  heart  rejoiced  in  all  my  labor; 
and  this  was  my  portion  of  all  my  labor.  Then  I  looked  on  all  the 
loorks  that  my  hands  had  lorought,  and  on  the  labor  that  I  had  la- 
bored to  do;  and,  behold,  all  [was)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit,  and 
{there  was)  no  profit  under  the  sun. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  long  on  the  various  particulars  in  this 
enumeration. 

He  "made  him  great  works;" — both  private  and  public;  such 
as  might  gratify  ambition  and  the  love  of  fame,  by  exciting  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  his  own  subjects  and  of  strangers; 
might  afford  objects  of  contemplation  for  the  eye  of  his  vanity, 
and  give  scope  for  such  feelings  of  self-complacency  and  high- 
mindedness  as  were  uttered  by  the  king  of  Babylon,  when,  stand- 
ing on  the  roof  of  his  palace,  in  the  midst  of  his  spleAdid  city,  and 
surveying  its  stupendous  and  magnificent  structures,  he  said,  "  Is 
not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the  king- 
dom by  the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my  majesty?" 
Dan.  iv.  30. 

I  think  Solomon  may  be  understood  here  as  referring,  not  only 
to  the  works  which  were  actually  constructed  during  that  period 
of  his  life  which  he  emphatically  denominates  "the  days  of  his 
vanity,"  but  to  those  also  which  he  had  previously  reared;  which 
he  then,  it  may  be  supposed,  enlarged  and  adorned,  and  began  to 
contemplate  with  the  new  and  corrupt  emotions  ofvanity  and  pride. 
He  "  builded  him  houses."  Solomon's  palace  in  Jerusalem  was 
thirteen  years  in  building.  He  built,  besides,  the  spacious  and 
elegant  "house  of  the  forest  of  Lebanon;"  and  another  house,  of 
similar  costliness  and  splendor,  for  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh.  1 
Kings  vii.  1-12.  To  these,  the  history  adds,  "Millo,and  the  wall 
of  Jerusalem,  and  Hazor,  and  Megiddo,  and  Gezer;  Bethhoron  the 
nether,  Baalath,  and  Tadmor  in  the  wilderness;  cities  of  store, 
cities  for  his  chariots,  and  cities  for  his  horsemen;"  and  a  variety  of 
other  buildings,  "in  Jerusalem,  in  Lebanon,  and  in  all  the  land 
of  his  dominion."  Ibid.  ix.  15-19. 

He  "  planted  vineyards ;  made  gardens  and  orchards,  and  planted 
in  them  trees  of  all  kinds  of  fruits;  and  made  pools  of  water,  to 
water  therewith  the  wood  that  bringeth  forth  trees."  By  this  last 
expression  are  probably  meant  those  extensive  nurseries  of  seed- 
lings, from  which  his  woods  and  orchards  were  supplied.     These 


44  LECTURE  III. 

he  watered  artificially,  at  great  expense,  and  with  much  labor  and 
skill ;  intersecting  them  with  canals,  and  feeding  these  canals  from 
ponds  and  reservoirs,  to  secure  a  constant  and  regular  irrigation. 

The  number  and  variety,  the  order  and  apparel  of  Solomon's 
servants,  and  the  whole  style  of  his  domestic  establishment,  were 
amongst  the  circumstances  by  which  the  queen  of  Sheba,  on  her 
visit  to  Jerusalem,  was  so  much  astonished ;  and  withal,  from  feel- 
ings, it  may  be  presumed,  of  hopeless  envy,  so  much  dispirited. 
"When  she  saw  "the  meat  of  his  table,  and  the  sitting  of  his  ser- 
vants, and  the  attendance  of  his  ministers,  and  their  apparel,  and 
his  cup-bearers," — "  there  was  no  more  spirit  in  her." 

The  abundance  of  his  wealth,  in  "great  and  small  cattle,"  and 
in  "silver  and  gold,"  was  a  fulfilment  of  the  express  promise  of 
God  to  him  at  the  commencement  of  his  reign,  to  add  unprece- 
dented riches  to  unexampled  wisdom.  "  The  weight  of  gold  that 
came  to  Solomon  in  one  year,  was  six  hundred  three-score  and  six 
talents  of  gold ;  besides  (that  he  had)  of  the  merchantmen,  and  of 
the  traffic  of  the  spice-merchants,  and  of  all  the  kings  of  Arabia, 
and  of  the  governors  of  the  country."  "  And  all  king  Solomon's 
drinking  vessels  (were)  of  gold,  and  all  the  vessels  of  the  house  ot 
the  forest  of  Lebanon  (were)  of  pure  gold ;  none  (were)  of  silver : 
it  was  nothing  accounted  of  in  the  days  of  Solomon."  "  The  king 
made  silver  (to  be)  in  Jerusalem  as  stones,  for  abundance."  1 
Kings  x.  14, 15,  21,  27.  Both  national  and  personal  wealth  flowed 
in  from  the  surrounding  countries : — for  "Solomon  reigned  over  all 
kingdoms,  from  the  river  unto  the  land  of  the  Philistines,  and 
unto  the  border  of  Egypt:  they  brought  presents,  and  served  Solo- 
mon all  the  days  of  his  life."  1  Kings  iv.  21.  "All  the  earth 
sought  to  Solomon,  to  hear  his  wisdom,  which  God  had  put  in  his 
heart:  and  they  brought  every  man  his  {>resent,  vessels  of  silver 
and  vessels  of  gold,  and  garments,  and  armor,  and  spices,  and 
horses  and  mules,  a  rate  year  by  year."  Ibid.  x.  24,  25.  It  is, 
probably,  the  riches  derived  from  tributary  states,  and  from  the 
multiplied  and  precious  gifts  of  gratulation  and  homage,  that  he 
describes  under  the  designation,  "the  peculiar  treasure  of  kings 
and  of  the  provinces." 

The  wealth  which  the  king  acquired,  was  an  object  about  which, 
in  the  best  days  of  his  reign,  when  he  first  mounted  the  throne  of 
Israel,  his  heart  had  been  very  indifferent.     He  had  sought  the 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  1-11.  45 

higher  gifts  of  "wisdom  and  understanding,"  to  fit  him  for  the 
happy  discharge  of  his  royal  functions.  But  the  riches  which  at 
first,  in  the  exercise  of  an  enlightened  and  upright  mind,  he  em- 
ployed for  advancing  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  best  interests  of 
his  people,  qualified  him  afterwards,  during  the  period  of  his  back- 
sliding, when  "his  heart  departed  from  the  Lord,"  for  prosecuting 
to  the  utmost  advantage  his  experiments  on  happiness.  They 
were  not  lodged  in  his  coffers  with  the  avarice  of  a  miser;  but 
were  profusely  expended  on  all  that  they  could  procure  of  sensual 
gratification.  He  "got  him  men-singers,  and  women-singers,  and 
the  delights  of  the  sons  of  men,  as  musical  instruments,  and  that 
of  all  sorts :  whatsoever  his  eyes  desired,  he  kept  not  from  them : 
he  withheld  not  his  heart  from  any  joy."  All  the  senses  were  con- 
sulted and  pampered.  Whatever  could  contribute  to  charm  the 
eye  or  the  ear,  the  taste,  the  touch,  or  the  smell,  was  procured  by 
him,  in  all  its  variety,  and  all  its  excellence.  He  conducted  his 
experiments  on  a  large  scale;  sparing  upon  them  no  pains  and  no 
expense;  and  not  restained,  by  any  of  the  over-delicate  and  incon- 
venient scruples  of  a  tender  conscience,  from  satiating  his  heart  in 
all  its  most  extravagant  and  capricious  desires. 

In  the  midst  of  all  his  grandeur,  in  which  (verse  9)  he  "in- 
creased above  all  that  were  before  him  in  Jerusalem,"  and  in  the 
midst  of  all  his  sumptuous  and  costly  pleasures,  "his  wisdom  re- 
mained with  him :" — not,  indeed,  that  true  wisdom  in  which  he 
commenced  his  reign,  consisting  in  a  mind  regulated,  in  all  its 
ample  powers,  by  the  "fear  of  the  Lord;"  but  a  penetrating  and 
capacious  intellect,  with  all  its  vast  and  varied  acquirements  in 
human  science,  and  in  the  speculative  knowledge  of  the  theology 
of  Israel.  His  reputation  for  wisdom  continued  to  equal  his 
fame  for  riches  and  power. 

Solomon,  as  I  have  just  observed,  made  his  experiments  on 
happiness  on  an  extensive  scale;  procuring  for  himself,  by  what- 
ever trouble,  and  at  whatever  cost,  every  possible  gratification; 
every  thing  a  roving  fancy  could  suggest;  every  thing  a  heart  bent 
upon  indulgence  could  wish : — 

Verse  10.  And  whatsoever  mine  eyes  desired  I  kept  not  from  them; 
I  withheld  not  my  heart  from  any  joy;  for  my  heart  rejoiced  in  all 
my  labor:  and  this  was  my  portion  of  all  my  labor. 

The  "delights"  which  he  had  enumerated  in  the  preceding  ver- 


46 


LECTURE  III. 


ses  were,  in  their  own  nature,  lawful.  He  went  to  the  utmost 
bounds  of  such  enjoyments;  and  in  prosecuting  his  diversified 
works  of  ambition,  and  elegance,  and  luxurious  refinement,  he  ex- 
perienced a  kind  of  satisfaction  and  temporary  exhilaration  of 
spirit.  His  mind  was  kept  occupied ;  his  attention  busy ;  his  e}  j 
and  ear  felt  the  charm  of  varying  novelty;  and  the  admiration 
excited  by  his  labors,  terminating  upon  himself  as  their  author 
and  owner,  gratified  his  vanity.  Thus  "his  heart  rejoiced  in  his 
labor."  He  was  not  interrupted  by  wars ;  he  was  not  incapacitated 
by  sickness;  he  was  not  cramped  or  embarrassed  by  an  exhausted 
or  deficient  treasury ;  but  was  favored,  by  the  very  God  whom  he 
was  forgetting  and  forsaking,  with  full  and  undistracted  oppor- 
tunity of  indulgence,  in  the  prosecution  of  all  the  modes  of  grati- 
fication which  his  heart  could  devise.  He  tasted  their  sweetness 
"without  adversary  or  evil  occurrent;"  nor  was  his  enjoyment 
marred  by  any  grudging  or  covetous  regret  of  his  immense  ex- 
penditure, which  to  some  minds  would  have  embittered  the  whole 
scene.  This  temporary  enjoyment  was  "his  portion  of  all  his  la- 
bors." It  was  what  they  were  intended  to  produce  to  him.  Pre- 
sent gratification  was  the  object  of  them  all:  so  he  made  the  most 
of  them :  treating  all  his  wishes  liberally ;  disdaining  every  feel- 
ing of  niggardliness;  glorying  in  his  riches,  and  using  them  for 
the  accomplishment  of  his  ends,  with  open-handed  and  unrepining 
profusion. 

But,  after  all,  where  was  the  charm  in  all  this?  It  was  novelty 
merely.  His  heart  rejoiced  in  his  labors,  but  not  after  them. 
They  were  by  and  by  completed ;  the  novelty  of  them  passed  away ; 
and,  with  the  novelty,  the  pleasure  which  they  had  yielded.  There 
was  a  lively  buoyancy  of  spirit  in  the  busy  acquisition ;  but  it  left 
no  permanent  satisfaction  in  the  subsequent  possession; — a  case 
far  from  uncommon,  when  the  mind  has  been  allowed  to  run  wild 
in  quest  of  happiness,  and  has  been  trying  to  find  it,  away  from 
God:— 

Verse  11.  Then  I  looked  on  all  the  works  that  my  hands  had 
wrought,  and  on  the  labor  that  I  had  labored  to  do:  and  behbld,  all 
[was)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit;  and  {there  was)  no  profit  under 
the  sun. 

Strange!  Was  there  not  every  thing  in  his  lot  that  his  heart 
could  wish?     Yes:  he  had  "withheld  his  heart  from  no  joy." 


ECCLESIASTES  11.  1-11.  47 

But  alas !  every  earthly  pleasure,  when  unconnected  with  better 
blessings,  must  leave  a  void.  It  palls  upon  the  appetite  for  happi- 
ness, and  leaves  it  as  eager  and  unsatisfied  as  before.  The  ques- 
tion is  still  fretfully  repeated,  "Who  will  show  us  any  good?" 
After  all  Solomon's  labor,  "his  eye  was  not  satisfied  with  seeing, 
nor  his  ear  filled  with  hearing."  And  when  he  thus  felt  the  re- 
sult of  all  to  be  "  vanity,"  as  to  the  production  of  true  and  lasting 
happiness ;  this  very  feeling  was,  of  itself,  quite  sufficient  to  ren- 
der all  "vexation  of  spirit."  Nothing  could  well  be  more  morti- 
fying. He  resembled  a  man,  who  has  set  about  constructing  a 
machine  for  some  particular  purpose,  complicated  and  intricate ; 
the  result,  in  the  idea,  of  long  and  close  application  of  inventive 
genius;  and  requiring,  in  the  execution,  a  great  expenditure  of 
skill,  and  time,  and  patient  labor.  While  the  work  is  in  pro- 
gress, his  mind  is  full  of  it.  He  has  no  doubt  he  will  be  able  to 
make  it  answer;  and  the  confidence  of  succeeding  animates  him 
to  vigorous  perseverance,  and  keeps  him  in  fine  spirits.  At  length, 
it  is  completed;  and  he  finds,  to  his  unspeakable  mortification, 
that  it  will  not  do.  In  theory  it  was  ingenious,  and  seemingly 
perfect  in  its  adaptation  to  the  end.  But  when  tried  in  practice, 
there  is  some  unanticipated  defect;  and,  possibly,  he  cannot  dis- 
cover where  it  lies.  "All  is  now  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit; 
and  there  is  no  profit  to  him  of  all  his  labor."  Such  was  the  na- 
ture, and  such  the  success,  of  Solomon's  experiment  for  the  pro- 
curing of  happiness.  When  his  labor  was  ended,  he  had  only  to 
sigh  over  its  results.  He  very  soon  tired  of  looking  at  what  was 
finished,  and  of  hearing  what  he  had  heard  before.  And,  besides 
the  feeling  of  immediate  unsatisfactoriness,  the  galling  reflection, 
as  he  informs  us  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  chapter,  forced  itself 
upon  his  mind,  and  fretted,  and  mortified,  and  disgusted  him ;  that 
in  a  very  short  time  all  must  be  left  behind  him ;  and  left  too,  he 
could  not  tell  to  whom,  whether  to  a  wise  man  or  a  fool. 

1.  From  this  passage  we  may  observe,  in  the  first  place:  It  is 
a  radical,  but  very  prevalent  mistake  as  to  happiness,  when  men 
conceive  of  it  as  arising  from  situation.  Under  the  influence  of 
this  mistake,  how  often  do  men,  finding  something  awanting  in  a 
particular  condition  or  employment,  immediately  betake  them- 
selves to  another,  and  thence  to  another,  and  another,  the  same 
feeling  of  dissatisfaction  attending  them  successively  in  each ;  from 


48  LECTUEE  III. 

their  not  considering,  that  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  earthly  things, 
however  varied  and  modified,  to  be  a  portion  to  the  human  mind ; 
and  from  their  not  being  aware,  that  they  are  all  the  while  carry- 
ing about  the  root  and  cause  of  dissatisfaction  in  their  g#^n  bo- 
soms. Here  lies  the  unsuspected  evil : — here  the  secret  spring  of 
bitterness.  Men  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  worldly  happiness, 
changing  incessantly  from  one  pursuit  to  another,  trying  every 
likely  resource,  resemble  a  person  in  a  fever,  who  in  every  posture 
to  which  he  can  turn  himself,  feels  uneasy,  and  is  ever  fancying  that 
another  change  will  make  him  comfortable,  insensible  that  the  un- 
easiness of  which  he  complains  has  its  origin  in  his  distemper  itself, 
and  cannot  be  relieved  by  mere  position.  The  radical  principle 
of  happiness  must  be  carried  about  within  us,  else  we  shall  infal- 
libly fail  of  satisfaction  in  every  trial  we  can  make  of  earthly  good. 

2.  In  the  second  place :  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  there  is  no 
such  thing  to  be  found  as  true  satisfaction, — real  and  substantial 
happiness. 

This  would  be  a  very  hasty,  and  a  very  false  conclusion.  There 
is  such  a  thing, — blessed  be  the  gracious  Author  of  our  being ! — 
there  is  such  a  thing  to  be  found,  as  solid  and  heart-satisfying  enjoy- 
ment. It  is  not  indeed  to  be  derived  from  the  sources  to  which  So- 
lomon betook  himself  in  "the  days  of  his  vanity."  He  sought  it 
in  "mirth  and  laughter."  But  it  has  often  been  truly  observed, 
that  the  objects  at  which  we  laugh  loudest  are  not  the  objects 
which  yield  us  the  greatest  delight.  The  purest  kinds,  and  the 
highest  degrees,  of  this  feeling,  are  more  frequently  expressed  by 
tears  than  by  laughter.  How  often  has  the  truth  of  the  saying 
formerly  adverted  to  been  experienced  by  others  as  well  as  Solo- 
mon,— that  "even  in  laughter  the  heart  is  sad,  and  that  the  end 
of  that  mirth  is  heaviness!"  "True  joy  is  a  serious  thing."*  As 
little  is  the  object  of  universal  search  to  be  found  in  the  varieties 
of  sensual  indulgence,  or  the  pomp,  and  pride,  and  luxury  of  life, 
or  the  splendors  of  ambitious  and  busy  royalty.  In  these,  too, 
Solomon  sought  it  in  vain.  Many  things  may  be  accessories  to 
happiness ;  but  "  one  thing  is  needful."  The  true  secret  of  it  is, 
living  to  God; — enjoying  God  in  all  things,  and  all  things  in  Him. 
This  is  at  once  the  pure  and  the  sublime  source  of  enjoyment. 

*The  sentiment,  I  think,  is  Addison's:  but  I  am  not  sure  in  my  recollec- 
tion, where  in  his  writings  it  occurs. 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  1-11.  49 

Ever  vain  and  fruitless  must  the  pursuit  of  happiness  be,  apart 
from  the  favor  and  the  service  of  God.  He  must^  enter  into  all 
that  merits  the  name  of  true  felicity  to  a  rational  creature.  He 
is  the  fountain  of  all  joy:  and  the  streams  are  truly  sweet,  only 
as  they  taste  of  the  fountain.  "O  God,  thou  art  my  God;  early 
will  I  seek  thee:  my  soul  thirsteth  for  thee,  my  flesh  longeth  for 
thee,  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is;  to  see  thy  power 
and  thy  glory,  so  as  I  have  seen  thee  in  the  sanctuary.  Because 
thy  loving-kindness  is  better  than  life,  my  lips  shall  praise  thee. 
Thus  will  I  bless  thee  while  I  live;  I  will  lift  up  my  hands  in  thy 
name.  My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  as  with  marrow  and  fatness ;  and 
my  mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joyful  lips;  when  I  remember 
thee  upon  my  bed,  and  meditate  on  thee  in  the  night  watches." 
This  is  the  "good  old  wine"  which  once  made  Solomon's  heart,  as 
well  as  David's,  glad.  He  "tasted  new;"  but  he  was  brought  at 
length,  by  dear-bought  but  happy  experience,  to  say,  "  The  old  is 
better." 

"Live  while  ye  live!  the  sensualist  may  say, 
And  catch  the  pleasures  of  the  passing  day. 
Live  while  ye  live !  the  holy  man  replies, 
And  give  to  God  each  moment  as  it  flies. 
Lord,  in  my  life  let  both  united  be ! 
I  live  in  pleasure,  when  I  live  to  thee !" 

o.  In  the  third  place:  Let  this  passage  repress  in  every  bo- 
som, the  feelings  of  envy. 

The  poor,  when  they  read  such  a  description  as  these  verses 
contain, — of  houses,  and  vineyards,  and  gardens,  and  orchards, 
and  lakes,  and  woods;  and  servants,  and  cattle,  and  silver  and 
gold,  and  royal  jewels,  and  music,  and  all  the  "delights  of  the 
sons  of  men," — are  ready  to  feel  the  rising  emotions  of  jealousy, 
and  to  heave  the  sigh  of  envious  discontent  over  their  own  con- 
dition. They  mistake  this  glare  of  magnificence,  this  outward 
semblance  of  enjoyment,  for  true  happiness.  But  the  antidote  to 
all  such  feelings,  my  friends,  is  before  you.  Read  on.  Pass  from 
the  detail  of  abundance  and  splendor,  to  the  estimate  subsequently 
formed  of  it  all  by  the  owner  himself: — "Then  I  looked  on  all 
the  works  that  my  hands  had  wrought,  and  on  the  labor  that  I 
had  labored  to  do :  and,  behold,  all  was  vanity  and  vexation  of 
spirit;  and  there  was  no  profit  under  the  sun!"  Banish,  then, 
4 


50  LECTURE  III. 

your  envy.  Deceive  not  yourselves  with  the  fancy,  that  Solomon's 
disappointment  might  not  be  yours.  Be  assured,  you  would  fare 
no  better  than  he.  The  same  experiment  would  yield  the  same 
result  to  you  as  it  did  to  him,  and  as  it  has  done  to  many  more 
who  have  foolishly  ventured  to  repeat  it.  Be  not  "  envious,"  then, 
"at  the  foolish,  when  you  see  the  jirosperity  of  the  wicked."  "Be 
not  thou  afraid,  when  one  is  made  rich,  when  the  glory  of  his 
house  is  increased:  for  when  he  dieth  he  shall  carry  nothing  away ; 
his  glory  shall  not  descend  after  him :  though  while  he  lived  he 
blessed  his  soul,  (and  men  will  praise  thee,  when  thou  doest  well 
to  thyself,)  he  shall  go  to  the  generation  of  his  fathers;  they  shall 
never  see  light.  Man  that  is  in  honor,  and  understandeth  not,  is 
like  the  beasts  that  perish."  Let  your  minds,  then,  be  settled, 
my  brethren,  in  the  truth  of  the  apostolic  aphorism, — "godliness 
with  contentment  is  great  gain.  For  we  brought  nothing  into 
this  world;  and  it  is  certain  we  can  carry  nothing  out.  Having, 
therefore,  food  and  raiment,  let  us  be  therewith  content."  If  you 
are  "  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs,  of  the  kingdom  which  God  hath  pro- 
vided for  them  that  love  him,"  envy  may  Avell  be  a  stranger  to 
your  bosoms.  "Let  the  brother  of  low  degree  rejoice  in  that  he 
is  exalted,  Ijut  the  rich  in  that  he  is  made  low :  because,  as  the 
flower  of  the  grass,  he  shall  pass  away.  For  the  sun  is  no  sooner 
risen  with  a  burning  heat,  than  it  withereth  the  grass,  and  the 
flower  thereof  falleth,  and  the  grace  of  the  fashion  of  it  perisheth : 
so  also  shall  the  rich  man  fade  away  in  his  ways."  James  i.  9-11. 
Lastly :  Let  my  hearers  "  suffer  the  Avord  of  exhortation,"  from 
the  lips  of  the  Saviour  himself: — "Lay  not  up  for  yourselves 
treasures  on  earth,  where  moth  and  rust  corrupt,  and  where  thieves 
break  through  and  steal;  but  lay  up  for  yourselves  treasures  in 
heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where 
thieves  do  not  break ^througli  nor  steal:  for,  where  your  treasure 
is,  there  will  your  hearts  be  also."  Matt.  vi.  19-21.  Seek  not 
your  happiness  in  riches,  nor  in  any  thing  which  riches  can  pro- 
cure. It  Avere  puerile  affectation,  or  unscriptural  cant,  to  under- 
value and  vilify  them;  or  to  refuse  to  admit  the  desirableness  of 
many  of  the  blessings  which  they  put  in  their  possessor's  power. 
But  still,  neither  they  themselves,  nor  all  they  can  enable  you  to 
obtain,  must  be  i/onv  happiness, — your  portion.  You  must  seek 
"a  l)etter  and  more  enduring  substance."  "The  grounds  of  a  cer- 


ECCLESIASTE8  II.  1-11.  51 

tain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully :  and  he  thought  within 
himself,  saying,  What  shall  I  do,  because  I  have  no  room  where 
to  bestow  my  fruits?  And  he  said.  This  will  I  do:  I  Mill  pull 
down  my  barns,  and  build  greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my 
fruits  and  my  goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul ;  Soul,  thou  hast 
much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink, 
and  be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him ;  Thou  fool,  this  night  thy 
soul  shall  be  required  of  thee;  then  whose  shall  those  things  be 
which  thou  hast  provided?  So  is  he  that  layeth  up  treasure  for 
himself,  and  is  not  rich  toward  God."  Luke  xii.  16-21. 

One  might  have  looked  on  all  Solomon's  "great  works,"  and 
splendid  buildings,  and  varied  and  accumulated  magnificence,  and 
have  said,  The  possessor  of  all  these  may  die  to  day :  this  night 
his  soul  may  be  required  of  him;  and  then,  "Whose  shall  these 
things  be?"  Xo  longer  his: — "When  he  dieth,  he  shall  carry 
nothing  away :"  and  if  this  is  his  all, — if  he  possesses  nothing  more 
permanent ;  no  "  durable  riches  and  righteousness,"  no  "  house  not 
made  with  hands  eternal  in  the  heave'Qs;"  no  "inheritance  incor- 
ruptible and  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not  away ;" — wo  is  me  for 
the  foolish  man ! — he  has  "  laid  up  treasure  for  himself,"  but  he 
is  not  "rich  toward  God."  The  language  of  the  Saviour  to  his 
poor  people,  "I  know  thy  poverty,  but  thou  art  rich,"  may  well 
be  reversed  to  this  victim  of  a  pitiable  and  ruinous  delusion;  "I 
know  thy  riches, — but  thou  art  poor!" 

Compare  the  description  of  Solomon's  splendor  with  that  of  the 
^'  city  which  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God !" — 
the  city  which  he  hath  "prepared"  for  all  his  people,  Avho  em- 
brace his  promises,  and  "confess  themselves  strangers  and  pilgrims 
on  the  earth:" — "the  holy  city,  the  new  Jerusalem;"  of  which  the 
foundations  and  walls  are  of  precious  stones,  the  gates  of  pearl, 
and  the  streets  "of  pure  gold,  as  it  were  transparent  glass;"  which 
is  guarded  by  angels;  of  Avhich  "the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the 
Lamb  are  the  temple;"  which  "has  no  need  of  the  sun,  neither  of 
the  moon  to  shine  in  it,  for  the  glory  of  God  doth  lighten  it,  and 
the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof;"  where  there  shall  be  no  more  night, 
and  no  more  curse,  but  eternal  unclouded  day,  and  everlasting  and 
unmingled  blessing!  See  Rev.  xxi.  10-27.  xxii.  1-5.  Eemem- 
ber,  my  brethren,  that  the  meanest  saint  on  earth  is  a  citizen  of 
this  heavenly  city,  and  has  a  part  in  all  this  glory.     The  "great 


52  LECTURE  III. 

buildingg  "  on  which  the  king  of  Israel  expended  so  mnch  wealth, 
and  skill,  and  labor,  have  long  since  fallen  to  ruin,  and  crumbled 
to  dust;  and  so,  in  succession,  do  all  the  monuments  of  earthly 
grandeur : — 

"We  build  witli  what  we  deem  eternal  rock:^ 

A  distant  age  asks  where  the  fabric  stood ; 

And  in  the  dust,  sifted  and  search'd  in  vain, 

The  undiscoverable  secret  sleeps." 

But  the  structures  of  the  Divine  Architect  shall  never  ex23erience 
decay ;  their  glory  shall  never  tarnish ;  their  riches  shall  never  be 
plundered;  their  blessed  inhabitants  shall  never  be  wasted  by 
death,  or  scattered  by  hostile  invasion. 

The  gardens  and  groves  and  pleasure-grounds  of  Solomon  might 
be  called  by  men  an  earthly  paradise;  but  it  was  a  paradise  of 
sweets  that  soon  cloyed,  and  failed  to  yield  to  their  possessor  the 
anticipated  delight;  and,  like  every  thing  earthly,  it  has  passed 
away.  His  was  the  "time  to  plant;"  and  there  came  a  time  after 
him,  "to  pluck  up  that  which  was  planted."  But  the  paradise 
above,  wdiere  flows  the  "  pure  river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crys- 
tal, proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb,"  is  a 
scene  of  delights  as  unfading  as  they  are  pure  and  exquisite, — de- 
lights, that  always  satisfy  and  never  satiate, — delights  that  shall 
be  new  through  eternity, — continued  enjoyment  only  stimulating 
the  appetite,  and  enhancing  the  relish.  Envy  not,  then,  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  richest  and  loveliest  inheritance  on  earth.  You  have 
a  better  inheritance  above.  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  givo 
to  eat  of  the  Tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  paradise  of 
God." 

It  is  only  through  Jesus  Christ  that  this  final  glory  and  blessed- 
ness can  be  obtained.  It  is  by  him  that  the  way  to  the  Tree  of 
life  has  been  opened,  and  "paradise  regained."  The  heavenly 
city  has  been  reared  in  all  its  purity  and  splendor  for  the  habita- 
tion of  his  subjects:  the  "everlasting  inheritance"  is  prepared  in 
his  name,  and  bestowed  for  his  sake;  bestowed  on  all  Avho  are  jus- 
tified by  his  blood,  and  renewed  and  sanctified  by  his  Holy  Spirit. 
It  is  "the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light;"  and  sinful  creatures 
are  not  "made  meet  for  it"  till  they  are  pardoned  and  purified. 
The  city,  "whose  builder  and  maker  is  God,"  is  a  "holy  city;" 
"and  into  it  nothing  shall  enter  that  defileth,  or  that  worketh 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  1-11.  53 

abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie ;  but  they  only  Avho  are  written  in 
the  Lamb's  book  of  life."  Rev.  xxi.  27.  Seek,  then,  my  fellow- 
sinners,  an  interest  in  him.  Believe  his  testimony;  follow  his 
footsteps;  "live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God;"  "no  longer  to 
yourselves,  but  to  him  who  died  for  sinners  and  rose  again."  Let 
his  grace  be  the  ground  of  your  hope;  his  example  your  pattern; 
his  glory  your  end ;  his  love  your  motive ;  his  promises  your  en- 
couragement. Thus  let  it  be  your  desire,  that  "  whether  you  live 
you  may  live  to  the  Lord,  or  Avhether  you  die  you  may  die  to  the 
Lord;  that  living  and  dying  you  may  be  the  Lord's."  And  then, 
whatever  may  be  your  condition  here,  whether  rich  and  honored  as 
Solomon,  or  poor  and  despised  as  Lazarus,  you  shall  be  "  heirs  of 
God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ."  "Blessed  are  they  that  do  his 
commandments,  that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree  of  life,  and 
may  enter  in  through  the  gates  into  the  city."  Rev.  xxii.  14. 


LECTURE  IV. 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-26. 

"And  I  turned  myself  to  behold  wisdom,  and  madness,  and  folly:  for  what 
(can)  the  man  (do)  that  cometh  after  the  king?  (even)  that  which  hath  been 
already  done.  13.  Then  I  saw  that  wisdom  excelleth  folly,  as  far  as  light 
excelleth  darkness.  14.  The  Avise  man's  eyes  (are)  in  his  head;  but  the 
fool  walketh  in  darkness:  and  I  myself  perceived  also  that  one  event  hap- 
peneth  to  them  all.  15.  Then  said  I  in  my  heart.  As  it  happeneth  to  the 
fool,  so  it  happeneth  even  to  me ;  and  why  was  I  then  more  wise?  Then  I  said 
in  my  heart,  that  this  also  (is)  vanity.  16.  For  (there  is)  no  remembrance 
of  the  wise  more  than  of  the  fool  for  ever;  seeing  that  which  now  (is.)  in 
the  days  to  come  shall  all  be  forgotten:  and  how  dieth  the  wise  (man)?  as 
the  fool.  17.  Therefore  I  hated  life ;  because  the  work  that  is  wrought  un- 
der the  sun  (is)  grievous  unto  me:  for  all  (is)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 
18.  Yea,  I  hated  all  my  labor  which  I  had  taken  under  the  sun ;  because  I 
should  leave  it  unto  the  man  that  shall  be  after  me.  19.  And  who  know- 
eth  whether  he  shall  be  a  wise  (man)  or  a  fool?  yet  shall  he  have  rule  over 
all  my  labor  wherein  I  have  labored,  and  wherein  I  have  showed  myself 
wise  under  the  sun.  This  (is)  also  vanity.  20.  Therefore  I  went  about  to 
cause  my  heart  to  despair  of  all  the  labor  which  I  took  under  the  sun.  21. 
For  there  is  a  man  whose  labor  (is)  in  wisdom,  and  in  knowledge,  and  in 
equity;  yet  to  a  man  that  hath  not  labored  therein  shall  he  leave  it  (for) 
his  portion.  This  also  (is)  vanity,  and  a  great  evil.  22.  For  Avhat  hath 
man  of  all  his  labor,  and  of  the  vexation  of  his  heart,  wherein  he  hath  la- 
bored under  the  sun?  23.  For  all  his  days  (are)  sorrows,  and  his  travail 
grief;  yea,  his  heart  taketh  not  rest  in  the  night.  This  is  also  vanity.  24. 
(There  is)  nothing  better  for  a  man,  (than)  that  he  should  eat  and  drink, 
and  (that)  he  should  make  his  soul  enjoy  good  in  his  labor.  This  also  I  saw, 
that  it  (was)  from  the  hand  of  God.  25.  For  who  can  eat,  or  who  else  can 
hasten  (hereunto,)  more  than  I?  26.  For  (God)  giveth  to  a  man  that  (is) 
good  in  his  sight  wisdom,  and  knowledge,  and  joy:  but  to  the  sinner  he 
giveth  travail,  to  gather,  and  to  heap  up,  that  he  may  give  to  (him  that  is) 
good  before  God.     This  also  (is)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

Solomon  liad  now  made  trial  of  human  wisdom  and  science,  as  an 
independent  source  of  enjoyment;  of  madness  and  folly, — thought- 
less dissipation  and  mirth;  and  of  the  luxuries  and  elegances,  and 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-26.  55 

other  pleasures,  of  riches  and  royalty.  He  had  tried  them  se- 
parately; and  he  had  tried  them  together:  and  on  all  of  them  he 
had  pronounced  the  verdict  which  he  has  here  recorded,  of  "  vani- 
ty and  vexation  of  spirit." 

This  trial,  besides,  had  been  made  very  completely,  and  with 
every  possible  advantage  for  its  yielding  the  desired  result: — "for 
what  can  the  man  do  that  conieth  after  the  king?  even  that  which 
hath  been  already  done."  Possessing  "  a  wise  and  understanding 
heart,"  no  man  could  surpass  him  in  extent  and  variety  of  know- 
ledge, or  could  prove  the  failure  of  his  experiment  upon  it  to  have 
been  the  consequence  of  limited  and  superficial  information,  and 
his  unfavorable  verdict,  therefore,  mistaken  and  false: — and,  ex- 
ceeding in  wealth  and  magnificence  all  the  monarchs  that  had  pre- 
ceded him  in  the  throne  of  Israel,  and  all  the  contemporaneous 
princes  of  the  surrounding  nations, — having  thus  fully  in  his  power 
the  means  of  obtaining  every  gratification  of  sense  which  his  heart 
could  desire,  and  unrestained  in  his  indulgences  by  the  example 
or  by  the  fear  of  superiors, — by  no  man  could  the  trial  be  more 
effectually  made  than  it  was  by  him,  of  "  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and 
the  pride  of  life."  He  might  be  imitated,  but  he  could  hardly  be 
excelled. 

But  from  what  he  said  it  might  appear  to  some,  as  if  he  con- 
sidered all  the  things  of  which  he  had  been  speaking,  as  on  the 
same  footing  of' inefficiency  and  worthlessness ;  all  equally  vain, 
and  equally  vexatious.  This,  however,  would  be  a  great  mistake. 
Earthly  wisdom  he  had  indeed  affirmed  to  be  "vanity  and  vex- 
ation of  spirit,"  considered  as  constituting  the  happiness  of  man, — 
the  portion  of  an  immortal  creature;  and  madness  and  folly  he 
had  included  in  the  same  verdict.  But  it  by  no  means  follows, 
that  in  his  estimate  they  were  equally  so.  In  the  twelfth  verse, 
he  "  returns  "  to  contemplate  the  two,  and  to  compare  them ; — to 
view  them,  not  each  distinctly,  but  relatively  to  each  other;  not 
their  respective  claims  to  be  acknowledged  as  the  chief  good,  but 
simply  their  comparative  titles  to  human  estimation  and  pursuit : — 

Verses  12,  13.  And  I  turned  myself,  to  behold  wisdom,  and  mad- 
ness, and  folly ;  for  what  can  the  man  do  that  cometh  after  the  hingf 
even  that  which  hath  been  already  done.  Then  I  saw  that  v-isdom 
excelleth  folly,  as  far  as  light  excelleth  dai'hness. 

For  the  reason  assigned,  and  on  which  we  have  briefly  touched. 


56  LECTURE  IV. 

namely,  that  his  own  experiment,  on  both  sides  of  the  question, 
was  the  completest  that  could  be  made ;  after  having  pushed  it  in 
each  direction  to  its  utmost  limits,  he  "turns  himself"  to  look 
back  on  what  he  had  passed  through ;  he  stops  to  reflect ;  he  puts 
the  two  things  in  the  balance  against  each  other;  and  in  verse  13th 
he  gives  his  deliberate  decision: — "then  I  saw  that  wisdom  ex- 
celleth  folly,  as  far  as  light  excelleth  darkness." 

It  is  evidently  of  the  same  kind  of  wisdom  that  he  here  con- 
tinues to  speak.  It  is  not  a  declaration  of  the  satisfying  and  un- 
rivalled excellence  of  spiritual,  heavenly.  Divine  wisdom;  but  of 
the  vast  superiority  even  of  human  science,  of  the  wisdom  of  earth, 
above  ignorant  and  thoughtless  folly.  Although  in  itself  far  from 
sufficient  to  be  the  portion,  the  happiness,  of  such  a  creature  as 
man;  because  it  is  not  only  accompanied,  in  the  acquisition  and 
possession  of  it,  with  a  variety  of  peculiar  griefs  and  sorrows,  but 
it  embraces  not  the  favor  of  God,  and  leaves  unprovided  for,  the 
interests  of  the  immortal  soul;  yet  it  excels  ignorance  and  folly 
"as  far  as  light  excelleth  darkness."  With  light  we  invariably, — 
I  might  almost  say  instinctively, — associate  the  ideas  of  security, 
and  order,  and  cheerfulness ;  and  Avith  darkness  the  opposite  ideas, 
of  danger,  and  confusion,  and  melancholy.  Wisdom  excels  folly 
in  its  own  nature;  the  furnishing  of  the  niind  with  knowledge 
being  evidently  much  more  accordant  with  the  character  and  dig- 
nity of  a  rational  creature,  than  leaving  it  empty,  unimproved, 
and  waste ;  dissipating  its  powers,  and  degrading  its  exalted  ca- 
pacities, in  inconsiderate  mirth  and  revelry,  or  in  mere  sensual 
and  animal  gratifications.  The  pursuits  of  human  science,  al- 
though we  pity  the  man  who  is  destitute  of  the  purer  and  sublimer 
joys  of  true  religion,  are  yet  productive  of  pleasures,  high  in  order, 
and  exquisite  in  degree.  And  the  superior  excellence  of  such 
wisdom  is  further  apparent,  from  the  counsel  and  direction  which 
it  aifords  to  its  possessor  in  all  the  affairs  of  daily  life, — the  good 
which  it  enables  him  to  acquire,  and  the  evil  which  it  teaches  him 
to  avoid.     Hence  it  is  added. 

Verse  14.  The  wise  man's  eyes  are  in  his  head,  hut  the  fool  walketh 
in  darkness:  and  I  myself  perceived  also,  that  one  event  Jiappeneth  to 
them  all. 

Wisdom  possesses  the  same  advantage  over  folly,  that  sight  does 
over  blindness.     The  wise  man  is  like  a  person  who  has  his  eyes 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-26.  57 

in  a  sound  state,  and  has  light  at  the  same  time  to  use  them.  The 
fool,  on  the  contrary,  resembles  the  man  who  is  either  destitute  of 
the  organs  of  vision,  or  to  whom  surrounding  darkness  renders 
them  unavailing.  The  man  of  wisdom,  having  all  his  wits  about 
him,  in  the  full  possession  and  the  appropriate  exercise  of  all  his 
faculties,  "guides  his  affairs  with  discretion,"  looks  before  him,  thinks 
maturely  of  what  he  is  doing,and,by  his  knowledge  of  men  and  things, 
is  directed  to  the  adoption  of  plans  which  promise  to  be  profitable, 
and  to  the  prudent  and  successful  prosecution  of  them.  He  "  fore- 
seeth  the  evil,  and  hideth  himself."  He  aims  at  worthy  ends,  and 
employs  suitable  means  for  their  accomplishment.  But  the  fool, — 
the  ignorant  and  inconsiderate  and  improvident  man, — is  continu- 
ally in  danger  of  stumbling,  or  of  going  astray,  like  a  person  over- 
taken by  darkness,  who  ''  knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth."  He  is 
ever  prone  to  run  blindly  and  heedlessly  into  absurd  and  injurious 
projects,  or  to  destroy  such  as  are  in  themselves  good,  by  blunder- 
ing in  the  execution  of  them.  The  fool's  eyes,  it  is  elsewhere 
said,  are  "in  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  roaming  vainly  and  idly 
abroad,  without  serving  his  present  and  needful  purposes; — gaz- 
ing, as  the  organs  of  a  vacant  mind,  on  far  off  objects,  and  allow- 
ing him  to  stumble  over  whajjfis  immediately  in  his  way.  With- 
out foresight  to  anticipate  probable  evils,  without  even  sagacity  to 
avoid  such  as  are  present,  the  fool  is  in  perpetual  hazard  of  in- 
juring and  ruining  both  himself,  and  all  who  are  so  unfortunate 
as  to  stand  connected  with  him,  or  to  be  exposed  to  his  influence. 

Yet,  whilst  Solomon  was  not  insensible  to  the  peculiar  and 
eminent  advantages  of  wisdom  over  folly,  there  were,  at  the  same 
time,  some  particulars  in  which  the  wise  man  and  the  fool  stood 
entirely  on  a  level:  and  the  recollection  and  contemplation  of 
these  galled  and  mortified  his  spirit,  and  prevented  his  deriving 
from  his  trial  of  wisdom  even  that  mea.sure  of  enjoyment,  which 
it  was  fitted  in  its  nature  to  bestow.  It  is  in  this  temper  of  mind 
that  he  adds,  in  the  remainder  of  this,  and  in  the  two  following 
verses : — 

Verses  14-16.  And  (or,  yet)  I  myself  perceived,  that  one  event 
licippeneth  to  them  all.  Then  said  I  in  my  heart,  As  it  happeneth  to 
the  fool,  so  it  happeneth  even  to  me;  and  why  was  I  then  more  wise? 
Then  I  said  in  my  heart,  that  this  also  is  vanity.  For  there  is  no 
remembrance  of  the  wise  more  than  of  the  fool  for  ever;  seeing  that 


58  LECTURE  IV. 

lohich  now  is,  in  the  days  to  come  shall  all  be  forgotten.     And  how 
dieth  the  wise  manf  as  the  fool. 

The  expression,  "one  event  happeneth  to  them  all,"  refers,  not 
merely  to  the  life  of  all  coming  to  the  same  termination,  but  to 
the  indiscriminate  administration  of  Divine  providence,  in  regard 
to  temporal  things,  and  the  similarity  of  its  general  aspect  towards 
good  and  bad,  towards  wise  and  foolish.  It  is  the  same  sentiment 
which  is  afterwards  more  fully  stated  in  the  beginning  of  the  ninth 
chapter:  "For  all  this,  I  considered  in  my  heart,  even  to  declare 
all  this,  that  the  righteous  and  the  wise,  and  their  works,  are  in 
the  hand  of  God:  no  man  knoweth  either  love  or  hatred  by  all 
that  is  before  them.  All  things  come  alike  to  all :  there  is  one 
event  to  the  righteous  and  to  the  wicked ;  to  the  good,  and  to  the 
clean,  and  to  the  unclean ;  to  him  that  sacrificeth,  and  to  him  that 
sacrificeth  not :  as  is  the  good,  so  is  the  sinner ;  and  he  that  swear- 
eth,  as  he  that  feareth  an  oath.  This  is  an  evil  among  all  things 
that  are  done  under  the  sun,  that  there  is  one  event  unto  all :  yea, 
also  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  full  of  evil,  and  madness  is  in 
their  heart  while  they  live,  and  after  that  they  go  to  the  dead." 

When  we  come  to  this  passage,  we  shall  have  a  more  proper 
opportunity  for  considering  particetferly  this  view  of  the  Divine 
providence ;  a  view,  which  at  one  time,  you  know,  so  agitated  and 
unhinged  the  mind  of  the  Psalmist  Asaph,  as  almost  to  unsettle 
his  confidence  in  the  government,  and  the  very  existence,  of  the 
Divine  Being.  "  His  feet  were  almost  gone,  his  steps  had  well  nigh 
slipped:  he  was  envious  at  the  foolish,  when"  amidst  all  their  re- 
bellious forgetfulness  of  God  and  presumptuous  impiety,  their 
singular  prosperity  met  his  view,  and  was  contrasted  with  the  re- 
markable distresses  of  himself  and  others  of  God's  people.   Ps.  73. 

I  have  said,  the  two  passages  express  the  same  sentiment.  Per- 
haps this  is  scarcely  correct.  There  is  one  essential  difference  be- 
tween them.  In  the  verses  before  us,  it  is  not  the  case  of  the  good 
and  bad,  the  righteous  and  wicked,  that  is  spoken  of,  but  rather 
of  the  ivise  and  foolish;  wisdom  and  folly  being  understood  in  re- 
ference to  the  knowledge  of  earthly  science,  and  to  the  concerns  of 
time  and  of  the  present  world.  The  wise,  with  all  their  informa- 
tion, and  all  their  sagacity,  cannot,  any  more  than  the  fool,  con- 
trol the  course  of  providence.  They  are  subject,  in  common  with 
the  weak,  and  ignorant,  and  short-sighted,  to  all  the  diversified 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-26.  59 

•diseases,  calamities,  disappointments,  and  anxities  of  life.  This 
Solomon  had  seen  in  the  experience  of  others,  and  had  also  felt  in 
his  own;  and  it  filled  him  with  impatience  and  fretfnlness: — 
"then  said  I  in  my  heart,  As  it  happeneth  to  the  fool,  so  it  hap- 
peneth  even  to  me;  and  why  was  I,  then,  more  wise?" 

"Why  was  I  more  wise?" — Why?  How  apparently  unreasona- 
ble and  capricious  the  question!  Had  he  not  just  affirmed,  that 
"wisdom  excelleth  folly  as  far  as  light  excelleth  darkness?"  Was 
there,  then,  no  advantage  in  the  possession  of  wisdom?  Ah!  my 
friends,  this  language  affectingly  shows  the  unsatisfactoriness  of 
•all  earthly  sources  of  enjoyment;  and  the  tendency  of  the  human 
heart,  when  confined  in  its  desires  and  relishes  to  such  sources 
uilone,  to  discontent  and  murmuring.  True,  there  were  some  points 
in  which  the  wise  man  excelled  the  fool;  but  then,  there  were 
others  in  which  he  was  nowise  his  superior:  in  which  both  were 
perfectly  on  a  level;  and  these  were  of  such  a  nature  that  the 
mortification  arising  from  the  equality  more  than  neutralized,  in 
Solomon's  estimation,  the  advantage  arising  from  the  superiority. 
This  bitter  spoiled  the  sweet  of  all  its  relish ;  so  that  he  "  said  in 
his  heart,"  with  fretful  disappointment,  "This  also  is  vanity." 

One  of  the  points  of  equality,  by  which  his  mind  w^as  peculiarly 
affected,  was  seen  in  the  latter  end  of  the  wise  man  and  the  fool, 
and  the  forgetfulness  and  indifference  of  posterity  as  to  both : — 
■"for  there  is  no  remembrance  of  the  wise,  more  than  of  the  fool 
for  ever;  seeing  that  which  now  is,  in  the  days  to  come  shall  all 
be  forgotten: — and  how  dieth  the  wise  man? — as  the  fool." 

These  words  contain  Solomon's  estimate  of  j^osthvmovs  fame. 
He  must  be  considered  as  stating  a  general  truth.  Men,  in  an- 
ticipating futurity,  vainly  assign  to  themselves,  and  to  one  another, 
the  lofty  attribute  of  immortality.  But  how  is  the  presumptuous 
•expectation  disappointed !  "  There  is  no  remembrance  for  ever," — 
no  everlasting  remembrance,  however  often,  and  however  fondly 
men  talk  of  it, — "of  the  wise  man  more  than  of  the  fool."  The 
.stream  of  time,  in  a  few  generations,  carries  down  to  the  gulf  of 
-oblivion  the  names  of  both.  It  is  singularly  mortifying  to  re- 
flect, how  little,  in  a  very  short  period,  any  man,  however  emi- 
nent may  have  been  his  reputation  for  wisdom,  is  missed  in  the 
world.  For  a  while,  a  blank  is  felt.  He  is  the  theme  of  public 
praise  ;  and  the  tear  of  regret  is  shed,  and  the  voice  of  lamentation 


60  LECTURE  IV. 

is  raised,  over  his  tomb.  But  he  is  no  sooner  out  of  sight,  thart 
he  begins  to  be  out  of  mind.  He  is  less  and  less  spoken  of.  The- 
world  appears  to  go  on  without  him,  much  as  it  did  before.  New 
objects  of  attention  and  admiration  arise,  and  the  old  ones  are 
gradually  forgotten.  Of  the  thousands,  eminent  in  their  day,  who" 
must  have  lived  in  ancient  times,  how  few  comparatively  are  there,, 
whose  very  names  have  come  down  to  us ! — and  even  as  to  those 
that  haye  been  saved  from  the  general  wreck  of  time,  how  verv 
circumscribed  is  the  circle  of  their  fame !  By  the  great  mass  of 
human  society,  by  the  immensely  large  proportion  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  world,  they  have  never  been  heard  of: — their  names, 
their  works,  and  their  sayings,  are  alike  unknown.  The  wisdom 
of  Joseph  saved  the  land  of  Egypt  from  impending  ruin.  Yet 
soon  "another  king  arose,  who  knew  not  Joseph."  Whilst  the 
salutary  effects  of  his  counsel  continued  to  be  permanently  felt, 
the  counsel  itself  and  the  man  who  had  given  it  were  forgotten,, 
and  were  niiserably  requited ;  and,  but  for  the  inspired  record  in 
the  holy  Scriptures,  we  should  scarcely,  I  presume,  have  heard  of 
his  name,  even  amongst  the  fables  and  uncertainties,  and  confused, 
and  mutilated  facts,  of  remote  tradition.  And  of  Solomon  him- 
self, the  wisest  of  the  wise,  how  little  could  we  with  certainty  have 
known,  liad  not  his  history  been  in  a  similar  manner  recorded,, 
and  his  inspired  writings  preserved  ! 

"And  how  dieth  the  wise  man? — as  the  fool."  To  both,  the 
event  itself  is  equally  certain:  the  wise  cannot  ward  it  off  more 
than  the  fool.  The  time,  and  the  manner,  and  the  circumstances 
of  it  are  to  both  equally  uncertain :  to  the  wise,  as  to  the  fool,  it 
may  be  sudden  or  lingering,  preceded  and  accompanied  by  the 
same  varieties  of  pain  and  suffering,  both  being  alike  subject  to 
all  those  diseases  by  which  fallen  humanity  is  afflicted,  and  which 
to  all  in  succession  fulfil  the  original  sentence,  "Dust  thou  art, 
and  unto  dust  thou  shalt  return."  It  is  followed  too,  as  to  both, 
with  the  same  humiliating  effects.  "They  lie  down  alike  in  the 
dust,  and  the  worms  cover  them."  To  both,  the  grave  is  equally 
narrow,  equally  cold,  equally  silent,  and  dark,  and  dreary.  They 
rot  alike  into  indiscriminate  dust.  And,  as  it  is  of  secular  wisdom 
Solomon  is  speaking,  not  of  spiritual  and  saving  knowledge, — in  the 
departure  of  both  there  is  ground  for  the  anxious  and  trembling 
forebodings  of  futurity,  both  being  destitute  of  good  hojie.     Thus. 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-26.  61 

Solomon  "saw  that  wise  men  died,  and  that  the  fool  and  the  brutish 
|3erson  perished-"  and  his  spirit  was  vexed  and  mortified.  He 
Jiated  life;  and  all  his  labor  in  the  acquisition  of  his  wisdom  and 
of  his  general  superiority  to  other  men  seemed  grievous,  as  having 
yielded  him  no  solid  or  permanent  satisfaction : — 

Verse  17.  Therefore  I  hated  life;  because  (he  work  that  is  lorought 
under  the  sun  is  grievous  to  me:  for  all  is  inanity  and  vexation  of 
■spirit. 

Alas!  alas!  what  is  life,  my  friends,  without  a  eouteiited  mind? 
and  where  is  a  truly  contented  mind  to  be  found,  except  in  the 
pious  and  believing  reference  of  every  thing  to  God,  and  making 
Him  the  chosen  portion  of  the  soul  ? 

Another  reason  for  dissatisfaction  Avith  the  results  of  all  his 
varied  labors  in  the  pursuit  of  happiness,  is  assigned  in  the  follow- 
ing verses : — 

Verses  18-23.  Yea,  I  hated  all  my  labor  which  I  had  taken  un- 
der the  sun;  because  I  should  leave  it  unto  tJic  man  that  shall  be  after 
me.  And  ivho  knoweth  whether  he  shall  be  a  wise  man  or  a  foolf 
yet  shall  he  have  rule  over  all  my  labor  tvherein  I  have  labored,  and 
loherein  I  have  showed  myself  wise  under  the  sun.  This  is  also  vani- 
ty. Therefore  I  went  about  to  cause  my  heart  to  despair  of  all  the 
labor  which  I  took  under  the  sun.  For  there  is  a  man  tvhose  labor 
is  in  wisdom,  and  in  knoicledge,  and  in  equity:  yet  to  a  man  that  hcdh 
not  labored  therein  shall  he  leave  it  for  his  portion.  This  also  is 
vanity,  and  a  great  evil.  For  tchcd  hath  man  of  all  his  labor,  and 
of  the  vexation  of  his  heart,  ivherein  he  hath  labored  under  the  sunf 
For  all  his  days  are  sorrows,  and  his  travail  grief;  yea,  his  heart 
laketh  not  rest  in  the  night.      This  is  also  vanity. 

"I  hated  all  my  labor  which  I  had  taken  under  the  sun,  be- 
-cause  I  should  leave  it  to  the  man  that  shall  be  after  me."  But 
why  should  this  have  so  grieved  thee,  Solomon?  If  thy  heart 
liad  been  right  with  God ;  if  He  had  been,  as  He  ought  to  have 
.been,  thy  chief  joy,  the  treasure  of  thy  soul;  if  thy  aifections  had 
been  in  heaven,  and  thy  hopes  full  of  immortality ; — the  thought 
of  parting  with  earthly  possessions,  with  worldly  grandeur,  with 
liunian  admiration,  could  not  have  been  thus  vexing  to  thy  spirit. 
It  Avould  not  have  distressed  the  feelings  of  piety,  to  anticipate 
the  exchange  of  tliese  for  purer  joys  and  sublimer  honors;  nor  the 
feelings  of  generous  benevolence,  to  think  of  leaving  to  another 


62  LECTURE  IV. 

what  tliQu  couldest  no  longer  enjoy  thyself.  But,  alas!  to  the 
worlding,  who  seeks  his  portion  in  the  present  life,  as  Solomon  was 
now  doing,  even  the  simple  thought  that  all  must  be  left,  cannot 
but  be,  in  the  extreme,  galling  and  disheartening. 

But  there  is  something  more  here.  They  must  not  only  be  left,, 
and  left  to  another :  -the  character  of  the  successor,  and  the  use  he 
is  to  make  of  them,  are  matters  of  vexatious  uncertainty : — "And 
who  knoweth,  whether  he  shall  be  a  wise  man  or  a  fool?  yet  shall 
he  have  rule  over  all  my  labor  wherein  I  have  labored,  and  where- 
in I  have  showed  myself  wise  under  the  sun.  This  is  also  vani- 
ty." If  a  man  has  a  son  to  succeed  to  his  wealth  and  honors,  he 
may  be  a  foolish  son,  without  principle,  and  destitute  of  discretion 
and  common  sense;  or,  if  there  be  about  him  promising  symp- 
toms of  wisdom,  the  very  succession  to  riches  and  splendor  may 
work,  as  experience  shows  it  to  have  many  a  time  done,  a  fatal 
change;  may  frustrate  a  father's  partial  anticipations;  may  in- 
toxicate the  youthful  heart,  and  effectually  make  a  fool  of  the 
hopeful  heir.  If  a  man  have  no  son,  and  fixes  the  succession  to 
his  estate  on  one  whom  he  esteems  wise  and  prudent,  capable  of 
keeping  them  together  and  of  using  them  to  advantage,  he  may 
have  been  deceived  by  specious  appearances,  assumed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  obtaining  his  good  graces ;  or,  the  same  change  of  character 
may  be  produced  by  actual  change  of  condition,  which  we  have 
supposed  in  the  case  of  the  son ; — and  whosoever  be  the  heir,  sud- 
den death  may  prevent  his  entering  on  his  new  inheritance,  or 
may  very  soon  transmit  it  again  to  other  hands, — and  these  may 
be  the  hands  of  a  fool.  It  is  probable,  that  Solomon  himself  had 
no  very  flattering  anticipations  of  the  future  character  of  his  son 
and  heir,  Ilehoboam;  who  very  early  made  it  manifest  that,  along 
with  the  throne,  and  the  riches,  and  the  royal  magnificence  of  his 
father,  he  was  very  far  from  inheriting  his  wisdom ;  the  kingdom, 
at  the  very  commencement  of  his  reign,  being  divided  by  his 
haughty  and  headstrong  folly,  and  a  large  portion  of  it  alienated 
from  the  house  of  David. 

It  was  sadly  mortifying  to  Solomon,  then,  to  reflect,  that  the 
produce  of  all  his  labor  and  of  all  his  care;  the  wealth  he  had  ac- 
cumulated, the  honors  he  had  acquired,  the  splendors  Avith  which 
he  had  surrounded  himself;  might  come  immediately  into  the  pos- 
session of  one  who  might  break  the  sceptre  he  had  swayed  amidst 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-2(3.  6'^ 

SO  much  prosperity;  might  abuse  aud  squander  his  public  trea- 
sures and  his  private  fortunes;  might  forfeit  his  honors  and  cover 
himself  with  contempt: — that  such  a  one  might  "have  rule  over 
all  his  labor  wherein  he  had  labored,  and  wherein  he  had  showed 
himself  wise  under  the  sun." 

So  many  circumstances  thus  concurring  to  impress  on  his  mind 
the  vanity  of  earthly  things,  and  the  falsehood  of  the  promises  of 
happiness  held  out  by  them,  he  began  to  bethink  himself  a  little 
more  gravely,  and  to  renounce  the  pursuit  of  enjoyment  from 
worldly  good,  as  desperate  and  hopeless: — "Therefore  I  went 
about  to  cause  my  heart  to  despair  of  all  the  labor  which  I  took 
under  the  sun."  The  mode  of  expression  seems  to  imply,  that 
this  was  no  easy  matter.  His  heart  clung  firmly  to  the  world : — 
he  could  not  bring  himself  to  relinquish  it: — yet,  when  he  con- 
sidered and  re-considered  his  experiment,  as  far  as  it  had  hitherto 
gone,  he  found  it  would  not  do.  And,  amongst  the  views  of  the 
world  which  were  ever  forcibly  recurring  to  his  mind,  the  last 
mentioned  appears  to  have  had  a  predominant  influence.  He  re- 
peats it : — "  There  is  a  man," — (that  is,  the  case  is  one  which  not 
unfrequently  occurs,  and  Solomon  himself  was,  in  some  respects, 
an  instance  of  it,) — "There  is  a  man  who  hath  labored  in"  (or 
according  to)  "  wisdom,  and  knowledge,  and  equity ;  yet  to  a  man 
who  hath  not  labored  therein,"  (that  is,  not  merely  who  hath  en- 
tered on  the  possession  of  what  cost  him  no  labor  of  his  own,  but 
who,  instead  of  laboring  in  wisdom,  and  knowledge,  and  equity, 
has  labored  in  folly,  and  ignorance,  and  unrighteousness,  and  who 
continues  to  display  the  same  character,)  "shall  he  leave  it  for  his 
portion."  The  entire  produce  of  his  prudent,  and  intelligent,  and 
equitable  diligence,  becomes  the  portion  of  a  foolish  and  a  vicious 
man.  "  This,"  says  he,  "  is  vanity,  and  a  great  evil ;"  an  evil 
which,  in  Solomon's  experience,  served  to  embitter  all  the  satis- 
faction which  a  man  can  derive  from  his  labors : — "  For  what  hath 
a  man  of  all  his  labor,  and  of  the  vexation  of  his  heart  wherein 
he  hath  labored  under  the  sun  ?"  When  his  course  is  thus  brought 
to  a  close,  and  he  leaves  the  results  of  all  his  toils  to  another,— 
"to  the  man  that  shall  come  after  him," — "what  hath  he?" — 
what  reward, — what  profit, — what  compensation,  for  all  his  labor, 
all  his  anxiety,  and  care,  and  vexation  of  spirit? — when  his  soul 
comes  to  be  "required  of  him,"  and  the  emphatical  question  is 
asked,  "who  shall  those  things  be  which  thou  hast  provided?" 


€4  LECTURE  IV. 

The ,23d  verse, — "For  all  his  days  are  sorrows,  and  his  travail 
grief;  yea,  his  heart  taketh  not  rest  in  the  night:  thi'^,  is  also 
vanity," — does  not  seem  to  be  intended  as  a  direct  answer  to  the 
question  which  had  just  been  asked, — "What  hath  man  of  all  his 
labor,  and  of  the  vexation  of  his  heart  -wherein  he  hath  labored 
under  the  sun?" — as  if  the  wise  man  had  said.  He  has  only  vexa- 
tion, "Jar  all  his  days  are  sorrows,  and  his  travail  grief"  It  is 
rather  designed,  I  think,  to  aggravate  the  evil,  that  all  should 
have  so  unprofitable  a  termination : — "  What  hath  he  ?" — although 
"all  his  days  were  sorrows,  and  his  travail  grief."  When  he  has 
thus  spent  his  life;  given  his  whole  soul  to  the  labors  of  this 
world ;  passed  through  days  of  sorrow  and  disquietude ;  toiled  in 
carefulness  and  grief  of  spirit;  and  added  to  such  days  nights  of 
sleepless  anxiety,  or  slumbers  scared  and  disturbed  with  uneasy 
dreams  and  startling  apprehensions; — when,  by  such  means,  he 
has  realized  all  that  his  heart  was  set  upon,  and  filled  others  with 
wonder  and  envy  at  his  success ;-^"What  hath  he?"  W^hen  he 
comes  to  die,  and  to  leave  it  all  behind  him,  the  poorest  is  as  rich, 
and  the  meanest  as  mighty  .as  he.  Such  is  the  termination,  and 
such  the  fruit,  of  all  his  toils,  and  sorrows,  and  solicitudes.  Surely, 
then,  "this  is  also  vanity."  It  is  but  very  mixed  and  unsatisfying 
enjoyment  while  it  lasts;  sweet,  with  a  large  infusion  of  bitter; — 
and  the  end  of  all  is  unprofitable  and  vexatious. 

Solomon  had  "gone  about  to  make  his  heart  to  despair  of  all 
his  labor  under  the  sun  "  in  pursuit  of  solid  satisfaction  from  earthly 
things.  In  the  verses  which  follow,  he  sets  before  us  the  proper 
use  of  the  possessions  of  the  present  world : — 

Verses  24-26.  There  is  nothing  better  for  a  man,  than  that  he 
should  eat  and  drink,  and  that  he  should  make  his  soid  enjoy  good  in 
his  labor.  This  also  I  saiv,  that  it  loas  from  the  hand  of  God.  For 
loho  can  eat,  or  who  else  can  hasten  hereunto,  more  than  If  For 
God  giveth  to  a  man  that  is  good  in  his  sight,  wisdom,  and  knoicledge, 
andjvy:  but  to  the  sinner  he  giveth  travail,  to  gather  and  to  heap  up, 
that  he  may  give  to  him  that  is  good  before  God.  2' his  also  is  vanity 
and  vexation  of  spirit. 

"There  is  nothing  better."  Is  this,  then,  the  supreme  good/ 
Does  the  writer  here  speak  absolutely?  For  an  answer  to  such 
questions,  we  have  only  to  look  forward  a  little  to  the  great  gene- 
ral lesson,  or  moral,  of  the  whole  book;  chapter  xii.  13.    "Let  us 


ECCLESIASTES  II.  12-2G.  65 

hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter:  fear  God,  and  keep  his 
commandments;  for  this  is  the  whole  duty"  (or,  rather,  the  whole 
happiness)  "  of  man :" — a  lesson  which  is  in  harmony  with  the 
doctrine,  on  the  same  subject,  of  all  the  other  Scriptures.  "The 
fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  knowledge ;  but  fools  despise 
wisdom  and  instruction."  "The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning 
of  wisdom ;  a  good  understanding  have  all  they  that  do  his  com- 
mandments." "Where  shall  wisdom  be  found?  and  where  is  the 
place  of  understanding?  God  understandeth  the  Avay  thereof,  and 
he  knoweth  the  i)lace  thereof.  And  unto  man  he  said.  Behold, 
the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom,  and  to  depart  from  evil  is 
understanding."    Prov.  i.  7.  Psal.  cxi.  10.  Job  xxviii.  12,  23,  28. 

In  the  verses  before  us,  Solomon,  must  be  understood  as  speak- 
ing of  the  way  to  derive  from  earthly  things  that  kind  and  degree 
of  enjoyment  which  they  are  capable  of  affording.  And  this  is, 
not  to  pursue  them  as  our  chief  good;  not  to  seek  our  happiness 
from  them;  but,  with  a  thankful,  contented,  and  cheerful  spirit, 
to  receive  and  enjoy  such  a  measure  of  them  as  God  in  his  provi- 
dence may  be  pleased  to  bestow. 

"There  is  nothing  better  for  a  man,"  as  to  the  things  of  time, 
"than  that  he  should  eat  and  drink,"  that  is,  that  he  should  use 
the  comforts  and  blessing  which  God  confers,  "and  that  he  should 
make  his  soul  enjoy  good  in  his  labor;"  maintaining  an  easy  and 
satisfied  mind,  without  grudging  and  repining  at  what  has  been, 
or  fretting  with  unhappy  solicitude  about  ^vhat  may  be ;  free  from 
the  irksome  care  about  possessions  already  acquired,  and  from  the 
toiling  and  anxious  eagerness  of  those  who  "haste  to  be  rich," 
whose  desires  are  incessant  for  more,  and  more ;  their  ideas  chang- 
ing and  their  ambition  swelling  as  they  advance,  and  Avho  arc  never, 
in  any  stage  of  their  progress,  "  content  with  such  things  as  they 
have."  This  is  far  from  being  the  way  to  the  true  enjoyment 
even  of  this  world.  He  enjoys  it  best,  who  receives  its  blessings 
as  from  the  hand  of  God,  with  a  cheerful  and  thankful,  but  de- 
pendent and  resigned  spirit;  who  makes  God  himself, — not  the 
temporary  gift,  but  the  Eternal  giver, — his  portion ;  and  who  has 
learned  to  be  satisfied  with  whatever  He  is  pleased  to  provide. 

This  temper  of  mind  is  not  in  nature;  the  lesson,  as  I  have  just 
hinted,  must  be  learned: — "This  also  I  saAV,"  says  Solomon,  "that 
it  was  from  the  hand  of  God."     The  meaning  of  this  is,  not  merely 


66  LECTUKE  IV. 

that  the  bounties  of  providence  are  from  the  Divine  hand ;  but 
that  from  Him  proceeds  a  suitable  temper  of  mind  for  the  true  en- 
joyment of  them; — a  grateful  and  contented  spirit.  This  is  from 
God.  It  is  produced  and  maintained  by  Divine  influence;  and 
it  imparts  to  the  things  of  time  a  relish  which  can  never  be  ex- 
perienced by  those  who  make  them  their  portion.  Solomon's  doc- 
trine of  the  necessity  of  this  lesson  being  taught  us  by  God,  agrees 
with  the  experience  of  the  apostle  Paul,  as  given  in  his  Epistle  to 
the  Philippians: — "Not  that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want:  for/ 
have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content.  I 
know  both  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  how  to  abound :  every- 
where, and  in  ail  things,  I  am  instructed  but  to  be  full  and  to  be 
hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  suffer  need.  I  can  do  all  things 
tlirough  Christ  who  strengtheneth  me."  Phil.  iv.  11-13.  He 
"learned," — he  was  "instructed; — not  merely  informed  of  this 
state  of  mind  being  his  duty,  but  effectually  taught,  by  the  grace 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  maintain  it.  The  sentiment  of  the  entire 
dependence  of  the  creature  on  Divine  Providence;  of  the  peaceful 
serenity  of  mind  arising  from  the  habitual  impression  of  it;  and 
of  God's  being  the  Author  of  this  contented  and  happy  frame  of 
spirit;  is  finely  expressed  by  the  Psalmist  in  the  beginning  of  the 
127th  Psalm: — "Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in 
vain  that  build  it :  except  the  Lord  keep  the  city,  the  watchman 
waketh  in  vain.  It  is  vain  for  you  to  rise  up  early,  to  sit  i\])  late, 
to  eat  the  bread  of  sorrows : — so  he  giveth  his  beloved  sleep." 
He  enables  his  children,  the  objects  of  his  paternal  love  and  care, 
to  enjoy  tranquil  and  sound  repose;  neither  abridged  by  the  wake- 
fulness, nor  disturbed  by  the  scaring  dreams  of  anxiety :  by  giving 
them  to  exercise  a  believing,  filial  reliance  upon  himself,  and  im- 
pressing on  their  minds  the  vanity  and  utter  fruitlessness  of  the 
most  solicitous  and  drudging  labor  without  his  blessing,  and  the 
abiding  conviction  that  his  sovereignty  cannot  be  controlled,  that 
his  wise  administration  cannot  be  improved,  that  his  gracious  and 
faithful  promises  cannot  be  falsified. 

Solomon's  own  experience  served  to  satisfy  him,  that  the  happi- 
ness to  be  derived  from  the  things  of  this  world  depends  entirely 
on  the  state  of  mind  in  which  they  are  received  and  enjoyed,  and 
that  this  state  of  mind  is  "from  the  hand  of  God:"  for,  if  the 
varieties  of  eartlily  good  luul  in  themselves  been  capable  of  im- 


ECCLESIASTES  II.    12-2().  67 

parting  true  satisfaction,  who  could  have  found  that  satisfaction, 
if  he  failed  of  it? — ''for  who  can  eat,  or  who  else  can  hasten  here- 
unto, more  than  I?"  Who  is  there  that  can  enjoy  the  delicacies 
and  the  luxuries  of  life  more  than  I? — what  appetite  can  be  more 
richly  feasted ;  what  taste,  in  all  its  capricious  likings,  more  in- 
tirely  indulged ;  than  mine?  Or,  "who  can  hasten"  more  than 
1,  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of  sense,  in  all  their  variety? — 
who  can  seek  them  with  more  unremitting  ardor? — who  can 
grasp  them  with  a  fonder  avidity? — who  can  possess  them  with  a 
heart  more  set  upon  them,  and  more  determined  to  make  the  most 
of  them,  than  I?  And  who  can  obtain  them  with  greater  facili- 
ty?— who  can  refine  them  to  a  higher  excellence? — who  can  mul- 
tiply them  to  a  richer  abundance?  Yet  all  would  not  do.  They 
yielded  me  nothing  that  deserved  the  name  of  happiness.  God  must 
not  only  bestow  them,  but  bestow  along  with  them  a  right  spirit 
in  the  reception  and  estimation,  the  enjoyment  and  use  of  them, 
else  they  will  be  curses  instead  of  blessings;  fountains  of  bitter- 
ness, rather  than  springs  of  pleasure. 

The  true  enjoyment,  then,  even  of  the  things  of  the  present  world, 
is  one  of  the  peculiar  advantages  of  God's  people;  and  the  ex- 
perience of  Solomon  confirms  the  saying  of  the  apostle: — "Godli- 
ness is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  1  Tim.  iv.  8. 

Verse  26.  For  God  giveth  to  a  man  that  is  good  in  his  sight,  iris- 
dom,  and  knoioledge,  and  joy :  but  the  sinner  hegiveth  travail,  to  gather 
and  to  heap  up,  that  he  may  give  to  him  that  is  good  before  God. 
This  also  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit. 

"The  man  that  is  good  in  his  sight,"  is  the  man  that  is  truly 
good;  good  in  the  unerring  estimate  of  the  Divine  mind;  whose 
"heart  is  right  with  God,"  and  who  is  "steadfast  in  his  covenant;" 
who  believes  his  word,  trusts  in  his  grace,  and  obeys  his  will, — 
"doing  justly,  loving  mercy,  and  walking  humbly  with  his  God," 
"denying  all  ungodliness  and  worldly  desires,  and  living  soberly, 
and  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world ;"  choosing  God 
as  his  portion;  "glorifying  him  in  his  body  and  spirit  which  are 
his;"  grateful  for  his  kindness;  submissive  to  his  corrections; 
satisfied  with  the  arrangements  of  his  gracious  providence,  and 
with  the  provisions  and  proposals  of  his  redeeming  love.  To  such 
a  man,  "God  giveth  Avisdom  and  knowledge,"  by  which  he  is 


68  LECTURE  IV. 

enabled  rightly  to  appreciate  the  comparative  value  of  temporal 
and  eternal  things;  to  give  the  former  their  proper  measure  of  re- 
gard ;  to  "  use  them  as  not  abusing  them,"  reserving  his  heart  for 
the  latter  and  for  God.  In  this  way  he  giveth  him  also  "joy " 
the  state  of  mind  arising  from  this  exercise  of  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge being  eminently  favorable  to  the  happy  enjoyment  of  all  the 
blessings  of  life ;  preserving  equanimity ;  moderating  and  regu- 
lating the  desires;  and,  by  suppressing  extravagant  elation  in 
prosperity,  lightening  the  pressure  of  adversity,  and  tempering 
the  otherwise  overwhelming  vexation  of  losses  and  disappoint- 
ments, of  frustrated  schemes,  and  baffled  exertions. 

"But  to  the  sinner," — that  is,  to  the  man  who  is  not  "good  be- 
fore God;"  whose  spirit  is  not  right  with  him;  who  "goes  on 
frowardly  in  the  way  of  his  own  heart,"  and  "according  to  the 
course  of  this  world;"  who  "says  to  the  Almighty,  Depart  from 
me,  for  I  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways ;"  who,  regardless 
of  the  obligations,  and  insensible  to  the  pleasures,  of  religion,  seeks 
his  happiness  in  the  creature  and  not  in  the  Creator, — "  to  the  sin- 
ner he  giveth  travail,  to  gather  and  to  heap  up,  that  he  may  give 
to  him  that  is  good  before  God.  This  also  is  vanity  and  vexation 
of  spirit."  The  meaning  is,  that  all  that  Solomon  had  described 
is  the  experience  not  of  the  good  man,  but  of  the  sinner, — of  the 
man  who  forgets  and  forsakes  the  Lord.  This  is  the  man  all 
whose  labor  is  "travail."  It  is  he  that  rises  early,  and  sits  up 
late,  and  eats  the  bread  of  sorrows.  It  is  he  that  is  sickened  with 
cares,  and  harrassed  by  disappointments.  His  object  is,  and  he 
toils  hardly  and  restlessly  for  its  attainment,  "  to  gather  and  to 
heap  up:"  and  then,  when  he  has  gained  his  end,  though  never  to 
his  heart's  content,  he  must  leave  all  behind  him;  and,  possibly, 
in  the  appointment  of  an  all-wise  providence,  over-ruling  every 
thing  for  the  Divine  glory,  his  accumulated  treasures  must  be- 
come the  portion  of  one  whom,  of  all  others,  he  most  heartily  dis- 
likes,— of  a  godly  man,  the  object  of  his  avowed  and  bitter  scorn, 
but  of  God's  approbation  and  regard;  who  will  devote  his  pos- 
sessions to  purposes  of  which  his  predecessor  never  dreamed,  or 
which,  if  they  ever  crossed  his  thoughts,  were  instantly  dismissed 
with  banter  and  imprecation;  who  will  "honor  the  Lord  with  his 
substance,  and  with  the  first  fruits  of  all  his  increase."  Solomon 
had  remarked,  in  surveying  the  incidents  and  changes  of  human 


ECOLESIASTES  II.   12-26.  6& 

life,  that  the  Supreme  Disposer  frequently  thus  transferred  the 
bounties  of  his  providence,  stored  up  by  wicked  means  for  wicked 
ends,  from  the  sinner  to  the  saint;  from  hands  that  unworthily 
abused  them,  to  hands  that  would  apply  them  to  their  legitimate 
uses.  It  is  God's  doing.  The  sinner  does  not,  of  his  own  free 
will,  relinquish  his  treasures,  and  give  them  over  into  the  hands 
of  the  godly.  No :  what  he  acquired  by  travail  he  abandons  with 
reluctance.  They  are  not  presented  with  his  open  hand,  but 
wrenched  from  his  tenacious  grasp.  He  holds  them  while  he  can, 
and  only  parts  with  them  from  an  indignant  feeling  of  necessity. 
With  respect  to  the  travail  and  anxiety  of  laboring  for  earthly 
good,  Solomon's  experience,  whilst  he  was  departing  from  God, 
had,  of  course,  been  that  of  "the  sinner;"  and  it  was  all  "vanity 
and  vexation  of  spirit." 

The  great  moral  of  the  whole  of  this  chapter  is  contained  in 
these  concluding  verses.  These  form  the  practical  improvement  of 
the  discoveries  made  by  the  writer,  in  his  experiments  on  earthly 
wisdom,  on  madness  and  folly,  on  sensual  gratification,  luxurious 
elegance,  and  voluptuous  refinement,  considered  as  independent 
sources  of  happiness  to  man.  In  this  view  of  them,  they  are  all  pro- 
nounced vanity ;  incapable  of  yielding  true  and  substantial  felicity : 
and  he  here  teaches  the  important  secret,  of  extracting  from  earthly 
things  the  full  proportion  of  sweetness  which  they  are  capable  of 
affording. 

Let  us  learn,  my  brethren,  to  make  a  proper  discrimination  even 
amongst  secular  pursuits.  AVisdom,  or  science,  even  when  con- 
sidered as  exclusive  of  godliness,  is,  in  its  nature  and  uses,  de- 
cidedly superior  to  sensual  pleasure;  and  that,  too,  although  in 
the  pursuit  and  enjoyment  of  the  latter  there  may  be  no  particu- 
larly sinful  excess.  But  still,  neither  of  them  will  do,  to  be  the  sub- 
stance of  happiness,  the  "  one  thing  needful,"  the  portion  of  the 
soul ;  nor  will  earthly  things,  of  any  description,  yield  their  sweets 
to  their  possessor,  till  they  have  ceased  to  be  looked  upon  at  all 
in  this  light.  Forget  not,  my  Christian  brethren,  the  higher  and 
nobler  objects  of  desire  and  pursuit,  which  your  Divine  Master 
sets  before  you,  aud  charges  you  to  mind: — "If  ye, then,  be  risen 
with  Christ,  seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth 
on  the  right  hand  of  God.  Set  your  affections  on  things  above, 
not  on  things  on  the  earth.     For  ye  arc  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid 


70  LECTURE  IV. 

with  Christ  in  God.  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear, 
then  shall  ye  also  appear  with  him  in  glory."  Col.  iii.  1-4.  O ! 
keep  these  objects  of  blessed  hope  continually  before  your  view. 
In  proportion  to  the  force  and  the  constancy  of  their  influence  on 
vour  aifections,  will  be  your  equanimity  amidst  the  changes  of  this 
fluctuating  world,  from  good  to  evil,  and  from  evil  to  good,  and 
the  correspondence  of  your  tempers  and  deportment  to  the  spirit 
of  the  apostolic  admonition : — "  But  this,  I  say,  brethren,  the  time 
is  short :  it  remaineth,  that,  both  they  that  have  wives  be  as  though 
they  had  none ;  and  they  that  weep  as  though  they  wept  not ;  and 
they  that  rejoice  as  though  they  rejoiced  not;  and  they  that  buy 
as  though  tliey  possessed  not;  and  they  that  use  this  world  as  not 
abusing  it;  for  the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away."  1  Cor. 
vii.  29-31.  The  more  habitually  our  desires  are  elevated  to  the 
things  that  are  unseen  and  eternal,  the  less  will  the  vicissitudes  of 
those  that  are  seen  and  temporal  be  found  capable  of  affecting  our 
real  happiness.  Assigning  to  them  their  proper  place,  and  ex- 
pecting from  them  no  more  than  they  are  fitted  to  produce,  we 
shall  be  free  from  the  disappointments  of  those  who  look  to  them 
for  what  they  never  can  yield.  Laying  our  account  with,  one 
day,  leaving  them,  we  shall  not  be  confounded,  as  by  an  event  on 
which  we  had  not  at  all  calculated,  if,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
they  should  leave  us,  "  making  to  themselves  wings  and  flying 
away,  as  an  eagle  towards  heaven."  The  knowledge  that  we 
"have  in  heaven  a  better  and  an  enduring  substance,"  will  make 
our  worldly  bereavements  comparatively  light.  "  Confessing  our- 
selves strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth,"  we  shall  still  look  for 
the  "  better  country,  even  the  heavenly."  And,  "  all  things  work- 
ing together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the 
called  according  to  his  purpose,"  our  temporal  loss  will  be  our 
spiritual  gain : — "  our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment, 
will  work  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory." 

And  O  !  let  ''the  sinner"  seriously  contemplate  his  future  pros- 
pecis.  Let  him  "consider  his  latter  end."  All  that  you  are  la- 
boring for,  you  must  very  soon  relinquish, — leaving  every  shred 
l)ehind  you.  And,  quickly  as  that  inevitable  and  final  separation 
must  come,  you  have  no  security  for  your  retaining  your  acquisi- 
tions even  till  then.     God  is  at  this  moment,  in  these  times  of 


ECCI.ESIASTE.S  II.  12-26.  71 

general  calamity  and  privation,  reading  to  you,  and  to  all,  a  most 
impressive  lesson  of  their  precariousness.  You  arc  "setting  your 
eyes  on  that  which  is  not;" — that  which  is  so  uncertain,  so  fleeting 
and  transient,  as  hardly  to  be  allowed  the  attribute  of  existence. 
You  are  eagerly  coveting,  and  fondly  attaching  yourselves  to  a 
nonentity, — an  empty  unsubstantial  shadow,  which,  ere  your  eye 
has  glanced  upon  it,  flits  from  before  you.  You  are  treasuring 
up  "  trifles  light  as  air,"  and  as  unstable  as  they  are  light,  which 
every  shifting  wind  oi' fortune,  (to  borrow  your  own  heathen  phra- 
seology,) may  blow  for  ever  away.  xVnd  O,  for  your  sakes,  that 
this  were  all ! — that  the  mere  loss  of  these  trifles  Avere  the  amount 
of  the  evil  that  shall  arise  from  a  life  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of 
them !  But,  whilst  you  are  living  "  without  God  in  the  world ;" 
estranging  your  hearts  from  him  and  giving  them  to  the  creature ; 
preferring  to  his  service  the  service  of  mammon ;  seeking  the  gift, 
and  forgetting  and  rebelling  against  the  giver;  abusiug  the  bounties 
of  his  providence,  (for  all  is  abused  that  is  not  consecrated  in  the  use 
of  it,  by  religious  principle,  to  the  honor  of  the  Divine  Benefac- 
tor;) and  slighting  and  refusing  the  offered  blessings  of  his  grace : — 
whilst  you  are  living  thus,  you  are  engaged  in  a  nmch  more  un- 
lawful employment  than  the  laying  up  of  trifles  for  future  loss ; — 
you  are  "treasuring  up  unto  yourselves  wrath  against  the  day  of 
wrath  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God."  Rom. 
ii.  5.  O,  deceive  not  yourselves  Avith  the  fancy,  that  because  you 
"labor  in  equity,"  as  well  as  "in  wisdom  and  knowledge,"  de- 
frauding no  man,  but  giving  every  one  his  due;  and  because  you 
"  run  not  to  the  excess  of  riot,"  but  are  decent  and  sober-living 
men, — that  therefore  there  is  no  danger.  There  is  danger,  immi- 
nent and  awful  danger,  if,  in  the  midst  of  all  your  equity  and  so- 
briety, the  world  has  your  hearts,  and  not  God;  if  you  are  living 
to  yourselves  ;  if  your  conduct  is  not  influenced  aiid  guided  by  re- 
ligious principle;  by  the  faith,  and  the  fear,  and  the  love  of  God. 
"  Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon,"  is  the  unequivocal  and  un- 
(jualified  declaration  of  the  Lord  of  Christians:  and,  of  the  two 
services,  it  is  only  the  service  of  God  that  can  end  well.  Loss, 
and  shame,  and  misery,  will  be  the  issue  of  the  one;  gain,  and 
glory,  and  blessedness,  the  eternal  reward  of  the  other.  Be  per- 
suaded, then,  to  embrace  this  holy  and  happy  service.  Be  per- 
suaded to  seek  something  better  and  more  lasting  than  this  world 


72  LECTURE  IV. 

can  aiford  you; — to  seek  an  ever-during  portion  in  the  love  of 
God,  and  all  the  blessings  Avhich  it  confers  on  its  favored  objects, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  An  interest  in  this  love,  and  in 
these  blessings,  is  the  only  way  to  the  true  and  satisfying  enjoy- 
ment even  of  the  present  world.  Listen,  then,  to  the  voice  of 
Divine  Wisdom: — "Receive  my  instruction,  and  not  silver;  and 
knowledge  rather  than  choice  gold.  For  wisdom  is  better  than 
rubies;  and  all  the  things  that  may  be  desired  are  not  to  be  com- 
pared to  it."  "Riches  and  honor  are  with  me,  yea,  durable  riches 
and  righteousness.  My  fruit  is  better  than  gold,  yea,  than  fine 
gold,  and  my  revenue  than  choice  silver.  I  lead  in  the  way  of 
righteousness,  in  the  midst  of  the  paths  of  judgment:  that  I  may 
cause  those  that  love  me  to  inherit  substance ;  and  I  will  fill  their 
treasures."  Prov.  viii.  10,  11,  18-21. 


LECTURE  V. 


ECCLESIASTEvS   III.  1-15. 

•"To  every  (thing  there  is)  a  season,  and  a  time  to  everj'  puii)03e  under  the 
heaven :  2.  A  time  to  be  born,  and  a  time  to  die ;  a  time  to  plant,  and  a 
time  to  pluck  (that  which  is)  planted :  3.  A  time  to  kill,  and  a  time  to 
Leal ;  a  time  to  break  down,  and  a  time  to  build  up :  4.  A  time  to  weep,  and  a 
time  to  laugh ;  a  time  to  mourn,  and  a  time  to  dance :  5.  A  time  to  cast  away 
stones,  and  a  time  to  gather  stones  together ;  a  time  to  embrace,  and  a  time 
to  refrain  from  embracing:  6.  A  time  to  get,  and  a  time  to  lose;  a  time  to 
keep,  and  a  time  to  cast  away :  7.  A  time  to  rend,  and  a  time  to  sew ;  a  time 
to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to  speak :  8.  A  time  to  love,  and  a  time  to  hate ; 
a  time  of  war,  and  a  time  of  peace.  9.  What  profit  hath  he  that  worketh 
in  that  wherein  he  laboreth?     10.  I  have  seen  the  travail,  which  God  hath 

fiven  to  the  sons  of  men  to  be  exercised  in  it.  11.  He  hath  made  every- 
thing) beautiful  in  his  time:  also  he  hath  set  the  world  in  their  heart;  so 
that  no  man  can  find  out  the  work  that  God  maketh  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end.  12.  I  know  that  (there  is)  no  good  in  them,  but  for  (a  man)  to 
rejoice,  and  to  do  good  in  his  life.  13.  And  also  that  every  man  should  eat 
and  drink,  and  enjoy  the  good  of  all  his  labor,  it  (is)  the  gift  of  God.  14. 
I  know  that  whatsoever  God  doeth,  it  shall  be  for  ever :  nothing  can  be  put 
to  it,  nor  any  thing  taken  from  it:  and  God  doeth  (it),  that  (men)  should 
fear  before  him.  15.  That  which  hath  been  is  now ;  and  that  which  is  to 
be  hath  already  been ;  and  God  requireth  that  which  is  past." 

To  the  right  understanding  and  interpretation  of  an  author's 
language,  nothing  is  of  more  essential  consequence  than  a  due  con- 
sideration of  his  leading  design, — the  general  scope  and  object  of 
his  performance.  The  great  lesson  which  this  book  is  intended 
to  elucidate  and  impress  is,  the  vanity  of  the  attempt  to  find  true 
happiness  from  any  of  the  sources  of  mere  worldly  enjoyment.  To 
this  purpose  the  verses  with  which  this  chapter  commences  are, 
in  one  view  of  their  meaning,  remarkably  appropriate:  and  this, 
of  itself,  is  a  very  conclusive  evidence  of  that  view  being  right. 
Thev  teach  the  two  following  important  truths: — in  the  first  place, 


74  LECTURE  V. 

that  the'concerns  of  the  present  world  are,  beyond  expression,  un- 
stable and  fluctuating;  and,  secondly,  that  all  its  incessant  vicissi- 
tudes are  so  regulated  and  determined  by  the  uncontrollable  pur- 
poses of  the  Supreme  will,  that  no  human  sagacity  can  foresee  and 
prevent  them;  "the  times  and  seasons  being  kept  in  his  own 
power,"  by  Him  who  says,  "My  counsel  shall  stand,  and  I  will 
do  all  my  pleasure."  Such  considerations  impressively  teach  us, 
on  the  one  hand,  the  folly  of  saying,  in  such  a  world,  we  shall 
never  be  moved;  and  the  wisdom,  on  the  other,  of  anticipating 
such  changes  as  may  be  appointed  and  inevitable;  of  accommo- 
dating readily  to  the  shifting  scenes  of  life  the  state  of  our  feel- 
ings and  desires;  of  conducting  ourselves  with  propriety  in  all 
the  varying  circumstances  of  our  condition ;  and  of  never  resting 
on  such  uncertainties  as  the  basis  of  our  felicity. 

Keeping  these  general  observations  in  mind,  let  us  briefly  glance 
at  the  different  particulars  enumerated  in  the  first  eight  verses. 

Verse  1.  To  every  thing  there  is  a  season,  and  «  time  for  everif 
purpose  under  the  sun. 

The  preceding  remarks  will  have  led  you  to  anticipate  that  I 
consider  these  words,  containing  the  general  sentiment  of  which 
the  seven  subsequent  verses  set  forth  varied  exemplications,  as  re- 
ferring to  the  all-directing  providence  of  God ;  whose  procedure 
is  not  the  random,  and  capricious,  and  unsteady  course  (if  a  course 
it  should  be  called)  of  short-sighted  ignorance  and  fickle  imbecility; 
but  the  wise,  and  regular,  and  well-ordered  administration  of  One, 
who  "  knows  the  end  from  the  beginning ;"  to  whom  there  is  no 
unanticipated  contingency ;  and  whose  omniscient  eye,  in  the  midst 
of  what  to  us  appears  inextricable  confusion,  has  a  thorough  and 
intuitive  perception  of  the  endlessly  diversified  relations  and  ten- 
dencies of  all  events  and  all  their  circumstances,  discerning  through- 
out the  whole  the  perfection  of  harmony.  In  the  all-wise  provi- 
vence  of  God,  then, — "to  every  thing  there  is  a  season,  and  a  time 
for  every  purpose  under  the  sun." 

He  begins  his  enumeration  of  particulars  with  the  commencing 
and  the  terminating  boundaries  of  life,  between  which  all  must  be 
done,  and  enjoyed,  and  suffered,  that  is  dojie,  enjoyed,  and  suflcred^ 
under  the  sun : — 

Verse  2.  There  is  a  time  to  be  born,  and  a  time  to  die. 

The  moment  is  predetermined,  of  every  man's  entering  into  tlie 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  75 

world ;  and  the  moment  is  also  fixed,  by  the  same  sovereign  pur- 
pose, at  which  he  is  to  leave  it.  When  a  child  is  born,  no  one  can 
affirm  how  long  it  is  to  continue  here.  It  may  be  an  hour,  or  it 
may  be  "threescore  years  and  ten."  The  first  birth  is  no  security 
for  the  next.  The  time  and  the  circumstances  of  its  future  de- 
parture are  known  to  God  alone,  the  Author  and  the  Supporter 
of  its  being.  All  that  we  can  with  certainty  say,  is,  "there  is  a 
time  to  die."  To  all,  the  event  is  equally  sure;  and  to  all,  the 
period  of  its  arrival  is  equally  a  secret.  And,  when  that  period 
does  arrive,  the  wish  and  the  attempt  to  evade  it  are  to  all  equally 
vain.  "  No  man  hath  power  over  the  spirit  to  retain  the  spirit;" — 
no,  not  for  a  moment.  How  foolish,  then,  must  it  be  for  us,  to 
sit  down  at  our  ease  to  enjoy  the  world,  as  if  we  had  the  time  of 
our  continuance  in  it  in  our  own  power !  when,  in  truth,  we  are 
so  completely  tenants  at  will,  and  may  be  called  to  quit  on  a  mo- 
ment's notice.  "Is  there  not  an  appointed  time  to  man  on  the 
earth?  are  not  his  days  also  as  the  days  of  a  hireling?"  Yes;  but 
with  this  difference,  that  the  hireling  knows  the  period  of  his  ser- 
vice ;  whereas,  of  the  duration  of  kis,  man  is  left  in  utter  uncer- 
tainty. "His  days  are  determined,"  indeed;  but  "the  number  of 
his  months  is  with  God :  God  hath  appointed  his  bounds,  that  he 
cannot  pass;"  and  he  may  come  upon  the  invisible  limit,  the  un- 
seen line  which  separates  time  from  eternity,  ere  he  is  at  all  aware 
of  his  being  near  it. 

There  is  a  time  to  plant,  and  a  time  to  pluck  up  that  ivhich  is 
planted. 

By  some,  these  words  are  understood  metaphorically,  of  the  dis- 
pensations of  providence  towards  families  and  nations;  agreeably 
to  a  use  made  of  the  same  and  similar  figures  in  some  other  parts 
of  Scripture.  Thus,  God  says  to  his  ancient  people,  by  the  pro- 
phet Jeremiah,  chap,  xviii.  6-10;  "O  house  of  Israel,  cannot  I 
do  with  you  as  this  potter?  saith  the  Lord.  Behold,  as  the  clay 
is  in  the  potter's  hand,  so  are  ye  in  my  hand,  O  house  of  Israel ! 
At  what  instant  I  shall  speak  concerning  a  nation,  and  concerning 
a  kingdom,  to  pluck  up,  and  to  pull  down,  and  to  destroy  it;  if 
that  nation,  against  whom  I  have  pronounced,  turn  from  their 
evil,  I  will  repent  of  the  evil  that  I  thought  to  do  unto  them. 
And  at  what  instant  I  shall  speak  concerning  a  nation,  and  con- 
cerning a  kingdom,  to  build,  and  to  plant  it;  if  it  do  evil  in  my 


7G  LEerURE  V. 

sight,  that  it  obey  not  my  voice,  then  I  will  repent  of  the  good 
wherewitli  I  said  I  would  benefit  them." 

But  although  the  words,  thus  understood,  express  an  important 
truth,  a  truth  of  a  higher  order  than  their  literal  meaning  sug- 
o-ests,  yet  I  am  disposed  to  think  that  the  literal  meaning  is  the 
true  one,  and  that  there  is  a  direct  reference  in  them  to  a  part  of 
Solomon's  various  labors,  as  described  by  him  in  the  preceding 
chapter :  "  I  made  me  great  works :  I  builded  me  houses ;  I  planted 
me  vineyards;  I  made  me  gardens  and  orchards,  and  I  planted 
trees  in  them  of  all  kinds  of  fruits ;  I  made  me  pools  of  water,  to 
water  therewith  the  wood  that  bringeth  forth  trees."  Thus  Solo- 
mon planted:  and  thus  many,  possessing  the  means,  along  with 
the  taste  and  inclination,  planted  before  him,  and  have  planted 
after  him.  But  the  "time  to  plant"  is  followed  by  the  "time  to 
pluck  up."  The  planter  himself,  from  change  of  circumstances, 
from  alteration  of  taste,  from  caprice,  or  from  necessity,  may  undo 
his  own  work : — a  period  of  growth,  too,  arrives,  at  which  wood 
of  all  varieties  is  cut  down  for  profit,  or  rooted  out  for  fruitless- 
ness : — and  no  man,  when  he  plants,  can  be  sure  how  soon  the 
blasting  influences  of  an  unpropitious  season  may  oblige  him  to 
pluck  up  his  young  favorites;  or  whether  his  successor  may  not 
disapprove  his  plans,  and,  immediately  on  obtaining  the  inher- 
itance, overturn  all  his  labors.  And  should  they  be  spared  for  a 
time,  some  one,  at  a  later  period,  from  taste  or  from  avarice,  may 
convert  the  sylvan  into  arable;  or,  (what  is  still  more  deplorable, 
but  not  unfrequent,)  may  lay  waste  his  plantations  to  discharge 
the  debts  of  profligacy.  i 

Verse  3.  A  time  to  kill,  and  a  time  to  heal:  that  is,  say  some,  a 
time  when  God  kills,  and  a  time  when  he  keeps  alive;  a  time  when 
he  brings  to  the  grave,  and  a  time  when  he  heals  and  brings  back 
from  the  very  verge  of  it.  I  have  no  objection  to  this  explana- 
tion; only,  I  think  it  should  be  understood  with  reference  to  the 
ministry  or  agency  of  man ;  and  that,  too,  not  to  his  killing  b)/ 
violence,  but  to  killing,  as  opposed  to  healing, — both  sides  of  the 
alternative  relating  to  the  same  case.  There  is  a  time,  when  all 
the  means  that  men  can  devise  and  employ  will  prove  ineffectual 
for  the  preservation  of  life;  nay,  when  they  may  even  have  a  pre- 
judicial and  deadly  influence:  and  there  is  a  time,  according  to  the 
unknown  purpose  of  God,  when  the  same  means  will  operate  like 


KCCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  77 

charms;  will  check  and  turn  the  ebbing  tide  of  life;  and  bring 
back  the  exhausted  and  despaired-of  patient  from  the  last  extremity. 
All  depends  on  the  purpose  and  appointment  of  God.  Let  none 
foolishly  abuse  this  important  truth ;  a  truth  which  ought  never 
to  be  absent  from  the  mind  of  a  dependent  creature.  Let  none 
interpret  it  as  fatalism,  and  hastily  infer  the  uselessness  and  im- 
piety of  employing  means  at  all.  For,  although  there  is  "a  time 
to  kill,"  there  is  also  "a  time  to  heal."  Previously  to  the  use  of 
means,  the  result  is  known  only  to  God ;  and  to  us  it  belongs,  to 
employ,  with  gratitude  and  prayer,  such  means  as  skill  and  ex- 
perience have  pronounced  to  be  suitable,  and  look  up  to  God,  in 
the  spirit  of  faith  and  submission,  for  the  blessing  that  is  necessary 
to  their  healing  efficacy.  It  was  not  the  sin  of  Ahaz  that  in  his  dis- 
tress he  "looked  to  the  physicians,"  but  that  he  "did  not  look  to 
the  Lord." 

A  time  to  break  down,  and  a  time  to  build  up.  Even  of  those 
cities  which  Solomon  himself  "  built  up,"  there  were  some  which 
in  Divine  providence  had  previously  been  "broken  down,"  by 
hostile  violence.  See  1  Kings  ix.  15-17.  He  built  up  also  the 
wall  of  Jerusalem :  which  was  again  broken  down  at  the  captivity ; 
and,  after  the  appointed  years  of  desolation,  built  up  anew  at  the 
return  from  Babylon;  and  at  last  thoroughly  overthrown,  in  the 
days  of  final  vengeance  on  the  rebellious  city.  One  hour  of  Di- 
vine judgment,  or  of  human  violence,  may  break  down  Mdiat  it 
has  cost  the  labor  of  many  years  to  build.  "  Forty  and  six  years," 
said  the  taunting  Jews  to  Jesus,  "was  this  temple  in  building;" 
but  when  God's  day  of  threatened  vengeance  arrived,  in  how  much 
shorter  time  were  its  massy  and  stupendous  structures  levelled 
with  the  dust,  and  the  prediction  verified,  that  one  stone  should 
not  be  left  upon  another !  Solomon  had  "  made  him  great  works, 
and  builded  him  houses."  But  he  knew  not,  when  he  had  finished 
them,  how  long  each  was  destined  to  stand.  Violence  might  soon 
lay  them  in  ruins :  change  of  circumstances  might  induce,  or  might 
oblige,  himself  or  his  successors  in  the  throne,  to  pull  them  down ; 
and,  at  any  rate,  a  time  was  to  come  when  they  should  yield  to 
the  dilapidating  influence  of  age;  should  totter  to  their  fall,  and 
be  removed,  from  a  sense  of  danger. 

Verse  4.  A  time  to  rceep,  and  a  time  laugh;  a  time  to  mourn,  and 
a  time  to  dance. 


78  LECTURE  V. 

These  two  clauses  of  verse  4th  are  evidently  of  synonymous  im- 
port. There  is  a  time  when,  by  private  or  "oy  ])ublic  calamities, 
the  Sovereign  ruler  calls  to  weeping  and  mourning ;  sometimes 
"suddenly  as  in  a  moment,"  without  previous  admonition,  and 
contrary  to  all  human  expectation.  In  such  a  time,  mirth  and 
dancing  are  forgotten  ;  or,  if  not,  they  are  fearfully  unseasonable 
incongruous,  and  profane: — "In  that  day  did  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts  call  to  weeping,  and  to  mourning,  and  to  baldness,  and  to 
girding  with  sackcloth;  and,  behold,  joy  and  gladness,  slaying 
oxen  and  killing  sheep,  eating  flesh  and  drinking  Avine:  let  us 
cat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  Ave  shall  die !  And  it  was  revealed 
in  mine  ears  by  the  Lord  of  hosts,  surely  this  iniquity  shall  not 
be  purged  from  you  till  ye  die,  saith  the  Lord  God  of  hosts."  Isa. 
xxii.  12-14.  There  is,  on  the  other  hand,  a  time  when  the  scene 
changes;  when  the  light  of  prosperity  rises  over  the  darkness  of 
affliction;  when  God  "turns  men's  mourning  into  dancing;" 
"takes  off  their  sackcloth,  and  girds  them  with  gladness."  And 
then,  anon,  when,  forgetting,  as  they  are  ever  prone  to  do,  the 
inconstancy  of  prosperity,  and  letting  slip  the  salutary  lessons  of 
their  previous  tribulation,  they  begin,  in  the  thoughtlessness  of 
gaiety,  to  say,  "we  shall  never  be  moved,"  He  again  "hides  his 
face,  and  they  are  troubled."  Job  was  a  happy  father,  and  a  rich 
and  healthy  and  honorable  man,  "the  greatest  of  all  the  men  of 
the  East :" — Job  became,  by  the  sudden  visitations  of  God,  child- 
less and  pennyless,  tormented  with  disease,  an  alien  to  his  friends, 
wronged,  insulted,  and  desolate ;  "  his  harp  was  turned  to  mourn- 
ing, and  his  organ  to  the  voice  of  them  that  weep:" — and,  again, 
the  season  came  round,  Avhen  the  Lord  "turned  the  captivity  of 
Job,"  and  "blessed  his  latter  end  more  than  his  beginning." 

Verse  5.  A  time  to  cast  aivay  stones,  and  a  time  to  gather  stones 
together: — not,  surely,  for  the  purpose  of  ordinary  building;  for 
that  had  been  already  mentioned.  The  reference  seems  to  be,  to 
the  rearing  of  memorials  of  covenants  betAveen  parties,  and  of  re- 
markable circumstances  or  events.  Such  Avere  the  pillar  erected 
by  Jacob,  and  the  heap  of  stones  piled  up  by  him  and  Laban,  and 
consecrated  by  the  solemnities  of  oath  and  sacrifice,  to  be  the 
boundary  of  pledged  and  coA'enanted  peace  betAveen  them.  Gen. 
xxxi.  44-55.  Such  Averc  the  tAvelve  stones  taken  from  the  midst 
of  Jordan,  Avhon  "its  Avaters  Avere  cut  off  before  the  ark  of  the 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  7a 

covenant,"  and  set  up  by  Joshua,  as  a  memorial  to  future  gene- 
rations, of  the  power,  and  goodness,  and  faithfuhiess  of  Jeho- 
vah. Josh.  iv.  1-9.  And  such  were  the  timnli  of  stones  raised  over 
Achan,  and  over  Absalom.  Josh.  vii.  26.  2  Sam.  xviii.  17. 
Other  instances  will  occur  to  the  recollection  of  the  readers  of  the 
Bible;  nor  has  the  practice,  even  in  the  rude  form  in  \vhich  it 
most  frequently  appears  in  Scripture  history,  been  at  all  peculiar 
to  any  one  nation.  There  is  a  time,  then,  when  covenants  are 
made,  and  a  time  when  they  may  come  to  be  disregarded  and  vio- 
lated, or  to  be  mutually  relinquished  by  the  parties,  and  the  me- 
morials of  them  thus  rendered  useless.  There  is  a  time  when 
trophies  of  victory  and  triumph  are  erected,  and  a  time  when  the 
stones  of  them  are  thrown  down  and  scattered ;  when  the  victors 
in  their  turn  become  the  vanquished,  and  defeat  and  shame  take 
the  place  of  conquest  and  honor;  when  those  who  dislike  the  events 
destroy  their  memorials. 

A  time  to  embrace,  and  a  time  to  refrain  from  embracing.  There 
is  a  time,  when  the  fondness  of  faithful  and  fervent  friendship 
besto\^^s  its  caresses,  and  receives  them  in  return  with  reciprocal 
sincerity  and  delight :  and  a  time  when  the  ardor  cools;  when 
professions  fail;  when  the  friend  of  our  bosom's  love  proves  false 
and  hollow-hearted,  and  the  sight  of  him  produces  only  the  sio-h 
and  the  tear  of  bitter  recollection :  we  refrain  from  embracing, 
because  our  embrace  is  not  returned.  There  is  a  time,  when  the 
man  whom  God  has  blessed  rejoices  with  the  wife  of  his  youth; 
when  "the  candle  of  the  Lord  shines  upon  his  head;"  when  all  is 
prosperity  and  cheerfulness ;  and  when  the  hallowed  endearments 
of  connubial  affection  are  enjoyed  with  mutual  transport: — and  a 
time,  when  "the  light  is  dark  in  his  tabernacle;"  when  the  visi- 
tations of  God  have  burdened  his  spirit  with  care  and  grief;  when 
even  such  pleasures  lose  their  wanted  relish;  when  to  enjoy  them 
as  before  would  be  insensibility  to  the  feelings  alike  of  nature  and- 
of  piety.  There  is  a  time,  when  the  heart  of  a  father  exults  over 
^^ a  wise  son;"  when  he  presses  him  to  his  bosom  in  the  embrace 
of  cordial  approbation;  and,  smiling  upon  him  through  tears  of 
sweet  affection,  experiences  all  a  father's  joy,  and  indulges,  in 
visions  of  anticipation,  all  a  father's  hopes : — and  a  time,  M^hen  the 
smile  and  the  embrace  must  be  reluctantly  withheld;  when  ap- 
probation must  give  place  to  reproof;  when  the  "foolish  son  be- 


80  LECTURE  V. 

comes  the  heaviness  of  liis  mother;"  when  the  heart  is  wrung  with 
agony ;  and  the  blessed  visions  of  hope  are  succeeded  by  the  dark 
forebodings  of  despondency  and  dread. 

Verse  6.  A  time  to  get,  and  a  time  to  lose.  Does  this  require  any 
comment  at  present,  my  friends,  when  proofs  of  it  so  numerous 
are  before  your  daily  view?  There  is  a  time  when  industry  is 
successful;  when  business  prospers;  when  the  tide  of  prosperity 
flows  without  interruption,  and  wealth  seems  to  come  spontane- 
ously;— "a  time  to  get."  But,  by  and  by,  a  turn  takes  place  in 
the  tide,  and  there  comes  "  a  time  to  lose."  All  is  unpropitious. 
Nothing  does  well.  Sudden  and  unlooked-for  reverses  take 
away  at  once  the  produce  of  many  years  of  industrious  applica- 
tion ; — or,  a  continued  run  of  ill  fortune,  as  the  world  calls  it,  but 
in  which  the  man  of  piety  will  mark  and  acknowledge  the  order- 
ings  of  providence,  drains  it  off  by  slow  but  sure  degrees.  Riches,, 
which  have  been  accumulated  during  a  long  period  of  persevering 
labor,  "make  to  themselves  wings  and  fly  away  as  an  eagle  to- 
wards heaven ;" — gotten  in  years, — lost  in  a  day : — or,  a  fortune 
obtained  at  once  is  na  sooner  in  possession,  than  it  begins  to  di- 
minish: the  ''time  to  lose"  commences,  and  ceases  not  till  all  is 
gone, — and  gone,  it  can  hardly  be  told  how . 

A  time  to  keep,  and  a  time  to  castaway: — a  time,  when  particu- 
lar earthly  possessions  give  us  pleasure,  and  we  keep  them;  and 
a  time  when,  from  satiety,  or  change  of  taste  and  character,  they 
cease  to  please,  and  we  cast  them  away : — a  time  when  the  boun- 
ties of  heaven  are  retained  with  gratitude,  as  valuable  and  useful ; 
and  a  time  when  duty  may  require  us  to  relinquish  all  that  we 
have,  that  we  may  not  violate  the  dictates  of  conscience,  or  incur 
the  forfeiture  of  more  precious  and  more  lasting  blessings; — or, 
when  life  comes  to  be  in  danger,  and,  for  its  preservation,  property 
of  every  kind  will  be  readily  thrown  away  from  us,  as,  in  the 
comparison,  unworthy  of  a  moment's  thought.  Thus,  many  have 
made  a  cheerful  sacrifice  of  things  seen  and  temporal  for  the  sake 
of  things  unseen  and  eternal;  and  many  more  have  shown  the 
truth  of  the  proverb,  "all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his 
life."  Paul  "counted  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord;"  nay,  "suffered  for  him  the 
loss  (^f  all  things,  and  counted  them  but  dung  that  he  might  win 
Christ,  and  be  found  in  him."     The  believing  Hebrews  "took 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  81 

joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods,  knowing  in  themselves  that 
they  had  in  heaven  a  better  and  an  enduring  substance."  On  the 
voyage  of  the  apostle  to  Rome,  the  wheat  was  cast  out  into  the 
sea,  and  the  tackling  of  the  ship  followed  it,  to  lighten  the  vessel 
during  the  raging  storm;  and  whatever  property  had  been  on 
board  would  have  shared  the  same  fate  when  life  was  in  jeopardy. 
What  changes  do  varying  circumstances  produce  in  the  value  we 
attach  to  our  possessions!  All  such  value  is  relative.  We  heep 
the  smaller  blessing,  when  it  does  not  come  into  competition  with 
the  greater ;  but  when  the  former  cannot  be  kept  but  at  the  hazard, 
and  far  more  at  the  certainty,  of  losing  the  latter,  it  is  "  a  time  to 
cast  away." 

Verse  7.  A  time  to  rend,  and  a  time  to  sew.  This  does  not  seem 
to  mean  merely  that  garments,  carefully  and  skillfully  sewed,  will 
in  time  wear,  and  become  fit  for  nothing  but  being  rent  in  pieces 
for  other  purposes.  There  appears  to  be  a  reference  to  the  prac- 
tice, so  often  exemplified  in  Bible  history  and  alluded  to  in  the 
other  parts  of  Scripture,  of  rending  the  garments,  as  an  expres- 
sion of  strong  emotion,  especially  of  grief  and  vexation  of  spirit. 
Thus,  Reuben  rent  his  clothes,  when  he  found  not  Joseph  in  the 
pit;  and  his  agonized  father,  when  he  saw  the  bloody  vestment  of 
his  favorite  son.  Gen.  xxxvii.  29,  34.  David  rent  his  clothes,  when 
he  mourned  for  Saul  and  Jonathan ;  when  he  followed  the  bier  of 
the  murdered  Abner ;  and  when  he  received  the  false  intelligence 
of  the  slaughter  of  all  his  sons  by  the  rebel  Absalom,  2  Sam.  i. 
11.  iii.  31.  xiii.  31.  Eliphaz,  and  Bildad,  and  Zophar,  at  the 
distant  sight  of  their  sadly  altered  friend,  *'  lifted  up  their  voice, 
and  wept,  and  rent  every  one  his  mantle,  and  sprinkled  dust  upon 
their  heads  towards  heaven."  Job  ii.  1 2.  The  high  priest  Caiaphas, 
in  real  or  feigned  emotion  of  indignant  grief,  rent  his  clothes,  when 
Jesus  owned  himself  the  Son  of  God,  and  announced  his  coming 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  sitting  on  the  right  hand  of  power. 
Matt.  XX vi.  65.  The  instances  of  the  practice,  indeed,  are  fre- 
quent;— and,  with  allusion  to  it,  God,  by  the  prophet  Joel,  thus 
calls  Israel  to  repentance,  and  warns  them  against  the  hypocrisy 
of  the  outward  token,  without  the  inward  feeling :  "  Turn  ye  even 
to  me  with  all  your  heart,  and  with  fasting,  and  with  weeping, 
and  with  mourning;  and  rend  your  heart,  and  not  your  gar- 
ments, and  turn  unto  the  Lord  your  God :  for  He  is  gracious  and 
6 


82  LECTURE  V. 

merciful,-  slow  to  anger,  and  of  great  kindness,  and  repenteth  him 
of  the  evil."  Joel  ii.  12,  13.  There  were  times,  then,  of  ordinary 
health  and  enjoyment,  when  clothes  were  made,  and  worn;  and 
there  were  times  of  calamity  and  grief,  when  they  were  rent  a- 
sunder.  Even  the  garments  of  festivity,  and  the  robes  of  royalty, 
were  not  exemjated  from  such  deforming  violence ;  prosperity,  and 
honor,  and  power,  affording  no  security  from  change  and  suffering. 

A  time  to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to  speak.  There  is  a  time  to 
keep  silence,  from  disinclination  to  speak ;  and  a  time  when  speak- 
ing would  be  dangerous  or  hurtful,  and  silence  is  imposed  by  pru- 
dence and  necessity.  There  is  a  time  when  affliction  strikes  us 
dumb ;  when  the  spirit  is  oppressed,  and  the  oj)ening  of  the  mouth 
to  speak  is  an  unwilling  and  painful  effort:  and  there  is  a  time  of 
deliverance,  when  the  heart  is  lightened,  and  the  lips  are  ojjened 
to  utter  the  praises  of  the  Lord,  to  tell  of  his  kindness,  and  to 
join  in  the  cheerful  conversation  of  life.  All  are  sensible  thatj 
silence  is  one  of  the  natural  expressions  of  heavy  afSiction  of  heart, 
and  that  clamorous  sorrow  is  seldom  deep.  "Assemble  yourselves, 
and  let  us  enter  into  the  defenced  cities,  and  let  us  be  silent  there ; 
for  the  Lord  our  God  hath  put  us  to  silence,  and  given  us  water 
of  gall  to  drink,  because  we  have  sinned  against  the  Lord."  Jer. 
viii.  14.  "  It  is  good  for  a  man  that  he  bare  the  yoke  in  his  youth. 
He  sitteth  alone,  and  keepeth  silence,  because  he  hath  borne  it 
upon  him."  Lam.  iii.  27,  28.  "I  was  dumb  with  silence:  I  held 
my  peace,  even  from  good;  and  my  sorrow  was  stirred."  Psal. 
xxxix.  2.  Again,  there  are  times  of  cordial  friendship,  and  un- 
animity, and  safety,  when  there  is  room  for  open  confidence,  and 
unreserved  communication;  and  there  are  times  of  alienation, 
division,  and  danger,  when  the  lips  must  be  sealed,  and  silence  is 
the  only  security;  when  life,  and  all  that  a  man  holds  dear,  may 
be  jeoparded  by  a  whisper.  "Therefore  the  prudent  shall  keep 
silence  in  that  time;  for  it  is  an  evil  time."  Amos  v.  13.  "Trust 
ye  not  in  a  friend,  put  ye  not  confidence  in  a  guide;  keep  the 
doors  of  thy  mouth  from  her  that  lieth  in  thy  bosom.  For  the 
son  dishonoreth  the  father,  the  daughter  riseth  up  against  her 
mother,  the  daughter-in-law  against  her  mother-in-law;  a  man's 
enemies  are  the  men  of  his  own  house."  Micah  vii.  5,  6. 

Verse  8.  A  time  to  love,  and  a  time  to  hate. 

It  ought  to  have  been  remarked  earlier,  as  one  of  the  necessary 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  83 

principles  of  interpretation  of  these  verses,  that  Solomon  is  not 
to  be  considered  as  speaking  of  what  God  allowed,  or  approved, 
in  the  conduct  of  men;  of  times  when  all  these  things  might  law- 
fully be  done.  He  speaks  merely  of  times  when  there  is  occasion 
or  necessity  for  them ;  or  of  powerful  temptation,  if  the  things  are 
wrong  in  themselves,  to  the  doing  of  them.  There  is  a  time  to 
love;  a  time,  that  is,  when  we  experience  treatment  of  which  the 
tendency  is  to  excite  gratitude  and  affection ;  treatment,  of  whicb 
love  is  the  suitable  return :  and  there  is  a  time  to  hate ; — not  when 
hatred  becomes  a  right  and  justifiable  feeling;  for  the  law  of  God 
expressly  prohibits  our  "hating  our  brother  in  our  heart,  or  bear- 
ing any  inward  grudge  against  him,"  and  commands  us  to  "love," 
not  our  neighbor  only,  but  "  our  enemy :  to  bless  them  that  curse 
us,  to  do  good  to  them  that  hate  us,  and  to  pray  for  them  that  des- 
pitefully  use  us,  and  persecute  us,"  Lev.  xix.  17, 18.  Matt.  v.  44-; — 
but  a  time,  when  the  conduct  of  others  towards  us  is  such  as  tends 
to  engender  hatred;  to  embitter  and  alienate  our  spirits;  when 
even  the  objects  of  our  love  may  become  the  objects  of  our  dislike 
and  aversion.  The  words,  indeed,  are  general,  and  may  include 
the  feelings  of  others  toward  us,  as  well  as  ours  toward  them. 
"There  is  a  time  to  love;"  when  we  may  be  the  objects  of  the 
favorable  regard  of  others ; — "  and  a  time  to  hate ;"  when  we  may 
be  the  victims  of  their  unmerited  enmity. 

A  time  of  war,  and  a  time  of  peace: — a  time  when,  through  the 
"lusts  that  war  in  men's  members,"  overruled  by  the  j)rovidence 
of  God,  "  wars  and  fightings "  arise ;  when  a  nation  must  defend 
itself,  or  perish ;  when  the  church  of  God  is  persecuted  and  wasted 
by  an  ungodly  world;  when  individuals,  however  desirous  to 
"live  peaceably  with  all  men,"  find  it  impossible; — "they  are  for 
peace;  but,  when  they  speak,  others  are  for  war,"  Psal.  cxx.  7; 
and  a  time,  when  Jehovah  "breaketh  the  bow,  cutteth  the  spear 
in  sunder,  burneth  the  chariot  in  the  fire,  and  maketh  wars  to 
cease  to  the  ends  of  the  earth;"  when  smiling  peace  returns  to  bless 
a  harassed  and  exhausted  land;  when  the  churches  "have  rest, 
and  are  edified,  and,  walking  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in  the  com- 
fort of  the  Holy  Ghost,  are  multiplied;"  when  the  desires  of  the 
man  of  quietness  are  gratified ;  when  God  "  makes  even  his  ene- 
mies to  be  at  peace  with  him,"  and  gives  him  the  hearts  of  those 
that  hated  him. 


84  LECTURE  V. 

Considering,  then,  this  instability  and  incessant  fluctuation  of 
earthly  aiFairs,  which,  beginning  with  the  "time  to  be  born,"  con- 
tinue to  present  a  scene  of  perpetual  insecurity  and  change  till  the 
"time  to  die;"  and,  considering  that  all  is  in  the  hand  of  God,  all 
under  his  sovereign  control,  who  has  said,  "  My  counsel  shall  stand, 
and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure;"  Solomon  repeats  the  question, 
which  he  had  asked  repeatedly  before,  (See  chap.  ii.  22.  i.  3) : — 

Verse  9.  What  profit  hath  he  that  worketh,  in  that  ivherein  he  la- 
borethf — and  confirms  the  sentence  of  "vanity,"  which  this  ques- 
tion involves,  by  a  renewed  appeal  to  his  own  extensive  experi- 
ence and  observation: — 

Verse  10.  I  have  seen  the  travail  ivhich  God  hath  given  to  the  sons 
of  men,  to  be  exercised  in  it. 

He  had  himself  seen  all  that  he  had  just  enumerated.  He  had 
seen  many  born,  and  many,  at  every  period  of  life,  die: — he  had 
seen  trees  planted  by  one  man,  and  rooted  up  by  another,  or  even 
by  the  planter  himself; — at  one  time,  he  had  seen  life  preserved 
with  little  difficulty,  and,  at  another,  all  human  means  expended 
in  vain; — he  had  himself  broken  down  what  others  had  built  up, 
and  built  up  what  others  had  broken  down ; — he  had  seen  festivity 
and  gladness  turned  suddenly  to  sackcloth  and  ashes,  and  he  had 
seen  "weeping  endure  for  a  night,  and  joy  come  in  the  morn- 
ing;"— he  had  seen  covenants  ratified  and  memorials  of  them 
erected,  and  covenants  annulled  or  broken,  and  their  memorials 
overthrown;  trophies  of  triumph  reared,  and  anon  the  victors 
vanquished,  and  their  trophies  laid  in  the  dust,  and  swept  into 
oblivion ; — he  had  seen  the  delights  of  friendship  and  love  enjoyed 
in  their  full  perfection,  with  a  free  and  bounding  spirit,  and  he 
had  seen  even  these  delights  for  a  time  deprived  of  their  relish ; — 
he  had  seen  fortunes  made,  and  fortunes  lost;  possessions  retained 
for  a  while  with  solicitous  vigilance,  and  then  relinquished  for  a 
good  conscience,  or  cast  away  for  self-preservation; — he  had  seen 
times  of  talkative  prosperity,  succeeded  by  seasons  of  speechless 
distress;  and  times  of  safety,  and  openness,  and  confidence,  by 
periods  of  peril,  and  secrecy,  and  apprehension; — he  had  seen  times 
of  kindness  and  gratitude,  and  times  of  unkindness  and  aliena- 
tion;— he  had  seen  the4)loody  wars  of  his  father  David,  followed 
by  the  promised  tranquillity  of  his  own  reign. 

In  the  midst  of  this  perpetual  vicissitude,  the  minds  of  men 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  85 

may  often  be  perplexed  and  at  a  stand.  It  may  seem  to  their 
eyes  a  scene  of  inextricable  confusion.  But  it  is  not  so  to  the  eye 
of  Him  who  superintends  and  directs  the  whole : — 

Verse  11.  He  hath  made  every  thing  beautiful  in  his  time:  also 
he  haih  set  the  loorld  in  their  heart;  so  that  no  man  can  find  out  the 
work  that  God  maheth,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end. 

"He  hath  made  everything  beautiful  in  his"  (or  its)  "season." 
This  phraseology  is  evidently  to  be  connected  with  the  first  verse 
of  the  chaj^ter,  and  it  confirms  the  interpretation  given  of  it,  as 
having  reference  to  the  arrangements  of  Divine  providence.  "  To 
every  thing  there  is  a  season;"  and  He  by  whom  the  "times  and 
seasons"  are  fixed,  orders  them  all  according  to  his  infinite  wis- 
dom.    All  is  beautiful  harmony ; 

"  All  chance,  direction  which  we  cannot  see."     . 

Set  down  a  man  ignorant  of  mechanics  in  the  midst  of  a  system 
of  extensive  and  complicated  machinery ;  and  he  will  gaze  about 
him  in  vacant  wonder,  all  appearing,  to  his  dizzy  and  stupified 
sight,  involved  and  intricate  perplexity.  But  introduce  an  ex- 
perienced machinist;  and,  by  the  hasty  glances  of  a  few  moments, 
he  discerns  the  proportions,  and  relations,  and  mutual  dependen- 
cies of  all  the  parts, — the  connexion  of  the  whole  with  the  great 
moving  power,  and  its  perfect  adaptation  to  a  proposed  end;  and 
his  mind  is  delighted  with  the  admirable  display  of  contrivance 
and  skill.  Creatures  like  us,  in  contemplating  the  Divine  proce- 
dure, are  in  the  situation  of  the  former.  The  scheme  of  provi- 
dence may  appear  to  us  a  maze  of  endless  confusion,  and  even,  at 
times,  of  jarring  inconsistency, — one  part  frequently  crossing  and 
counteracting  another.  But  the  sole  cause  of  this  is  our  ignorance ; 
the  very  limited  and  partial  views  which  we  are  able  to  take  of 
it.  It  is  because,  as  Solomon  here  expresses  it,  "  we  cannot  find 
out  the  work  that  God  doeth  from  the  beginning  to  the  end." 
Had  we  powers  that  enabled  us  to  take  a  full  and  comprehensive 
and  connected  view  of  the  whole, — from  the  originally  proposed 
design,  through  all  the  successive  steps  of  its  progressive  develop- 
ment, to  its  final  and  entire  completion, — we  should  see  "every 
thing  beautiful  in  its  season," — a  perfect  and  delightful  harmony, 
complicated  indeed,  but,  in  proportion  as  it  is  complicated,  the 
more  astonishing,  in  all  the  affairs  of  worlds,  and  kingdoms,  and 


SQ  LECTUEE  V. 

families,. and  individuals;  we  should  be  at  once  satisfied  that  there 
is  nothing  wanting,  and  nothing  useless, — nothing  that  could  have 
been  otherwise  than  it  is,  without  irregularity  and  detriment. 
But  to  such  a  view  no  powers  are  adequate  but  those  of  Deity ; 
and  we  must,  in  general,  content  ourselves  with  the  assurance  of 
faith  that  "the  Lord  reigneth,"  and  that  "what  we  know  not  now 
we  shall  know  hereafter." 

A  particular  consideration,  however,  is  here  suggested,  as  af- 
fecting our  views  of  the  Divine  government,  and  preventing  our 
observation  of  it  from  being  even  so  correct  and  extensive  as  it 
otherwise  might  be.  This  is,  probably,  the  idea  expressed  by  the 
obscure  Avords, — "also  he  hath  set  the  world  in  their  heart,  so  that 
men  cannot  find  out  the  work  that  God  doeth  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end."  I  wish  to  be  guided,  in  the  explanation  of  difficult 
expressionsj  by  a  regard  to  the  connexion  in  which  they  stand,  and 
to  adopt  the  view  which  appears  in  itself  the  simplest,  and  the 
most  consonant  to  the  object  of  the  writer.  Following  this  prin- 
ciple, I  would  remark. 

In  the  first  place.  From  our  necessary  connection  with  the 
world,  our  hearts,  indisposed  as  they  are  to  look  above  and  be- 
yond it,  get  so  much  entangled  in  its  various  concerns,  so  much 
occupied  about  the  objects  themselves  which  it  presents  to  our  de- 
sire, and  pursuit,  and  enjoyment,  that  we  are  ever  prone  to  over- 
look the  operations  of  God's  hand, — not  to  take  time  to  contem- 
plate and  examine  them  with  sufficient  attention, — to  satisfy  our- 
selves with  hasty  and  superficial  glances,  instead  of  a  close  and 
careful  investigation.  But  this  can  never  do.  Of  a  system  so  in- 
volved and  so  extended,  it  is,  in  the  nature  of  things,  impossible 
to  obtain  any  thing  approaching  to  a  comprehensive  and  accurate 
understanding,  without  a  large  measure  of  attentive  consideration, 
humbly  and  devoutly  bestowed. 

//(  the  second plaee.  From  our  diversified  attachments  to  the  per- 
sons and  things  of  the  world,  we  are  rendered  partial  in  our  judg- 
ments of  the  Divine  procedure ;  our  minds  are  biassed  and  warped ; 
our  reason  becomes  the  dupe  of  our  feeling: — so  that,  what  to  a 
neutral  spectator  would  appear  the  appointment  of  perfect  wis- 
dom, we  are  hindered  from  perceiving,  or  hesitate  to  acknowledge, 
to  be  so,  from  our  hapjiening,  in  so  great  a  variety  of  ways,  to  be 
interested,  and  from  our  intellectual  vision  being  thus  shortened 
and  distorted. 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  87 

It  by  no  means  follows  that,  if  such  causes  of  partiality  and 
short-sightedness  were  removed,  we  should  have  a  complete  com- 
prehension of  this  subject.  No.  Our  faculties  are  still  limited. 
They  are  the  faculties  of  creatures,  and  incapable,  (as  those  must 
be,  even  of  Intelligences  much  more  exalted  than  we  are,)  of  em- 
bracing the  plans  of  the  omniscient  God.  But,  without  doubt, 
the  removal  of  such  causes  would  render  our  views  inconceivably 
more  just  and  more  extensive  than  they  are. 

But  it  may  naturally  be  asked,  How  can  the  blessed  God  be, 
with  propriety,  represented  as  thus  "setting  the  world  in  men's 
hearts?"  I  reply,  by  observing;  that  the  world,  in  a  vast  variety 
of  its  objects  of  desire  and  pursuit,  not  only  lawfully  may,  but 
necessarily  must,  interest  our  hearts,  and  engage  much  of  our  at- 
tention. Its  legitimate  and  needful  occupations  are  numerous, 
and  there  are  not  a  few,  which  it  is  even  our  indispensable  duty 
to  mind.  And  further,  although  God  has  set  the  world  before 
men,  and  filled  it  with  desirable  objects  and  sources  of  gratifica- 
tion, and  has  so  constituted  and  so  situated  its  inhabitants,  as  that 
they  must  be  engaged  about  it,  he  is  not  justly  chargeable  with 
the  partialities  and  excesses  of  men's  attachment  to  it,  or  with 
their  blinding  and  perverting  influence ; — an  influence  which  arises 
from  the  absence  or  the  imperfection  of  a  right  disposition  of  heart. 

In  the  two  following  verses,  the  secret  is  repeated,  of  deriving 
from  temporal  things  the  measure  and  kind  of  happiness  which, 
from  their  nature,  they  are  capable  of  bestowing : — 

Verses  12,  13.  /  know  that  there  is  no  good  in  them,  but  for  a 
man  to  rejoice  and  to  do  good  in  his  life:  and  also,  that  every  man 
should  eat  and  drink,  and  enjoy  the  good  of  all  his  labor,  it  is  the  gift 
of  God/' 

Solomon,  in  these  words,  sums  up  the  uses  of  the  things  of  the 
world.  He  declares  all  the  good  that  is  in  them.  It  consists  in  two 
particulars ;  one  of  which  he  had  mentioned  before,  and  the  other 
is  here  added  to  it.  The  former  is,  the  unsolicitous  and  cheerful 
enjoyment  of  whatev^er  the  providence  of  God  is  pleased  to  bestow. 
This  is  what  he  means  by  a  man's  "eating  and  drinking,  and  en- 
joying the  good  of  all  his  labor,"  without  forgetting  that  "it  is 
the  gift  of  God."  It  is  the  same  sentiment  as  in  the  close  of  the 
preceding  chapter :  "  There  is  nothing  better  for  a  man,  than  that 
he  should  eat  and  drink,  and  that  he  should  make  his  soul  enjoy 


88  LECTURE  V. 

good  in  hig  labor.  This  also  I  saw,  that  it  was  from  the  hand  of 
God."  Of  this  sentiment  I  shall  not  resume  the  explanation 
given  in  last  lecture.  But  in  the  verses  now  before  us,  an  ad- 
dition is  made  to  it;  or  rather,  something  more  is  directly  ex- 
pressed, which  ought  formerly  to  have  been  considered  as  implied 
in  a  man's  "making  his  soul  enjoy  good  in  his  labor:"  for  how 
can  he  do  so  without  the  exercise  oi  benevolence?  The  contracted 
spirit  of  selfishness  can  never  be  a  happy  spirit.  If  a  man  would 
truly  "rejoice"  in  the  reception  and  use  of  the  bounties  of  heaven, 
he  must  not  shut  his  heart  and  hand  from  God  and  his  fellow- 
creatures,  and  expend  all  uponeelf:  he  must  "do  good  in  his  life." 
Cheerfulness  of  heart  in  enjoying  the  fruits  of  the  Divine  good- 
ness, is  a  duty  which  w^e  owe  to  the  Giver;  accompanied,  as  it 
ought  to  be,  with  the  spirit  of  humble  dejDendence  and  grateful 
acknowledgment.  When  the  Israelites  were  to  bring  their  basket 
of  first-fruits  before  the  Lord,  confessing  their  faith,  recognizing 
and  avowing  their  obligations  to  the  power,  and  faithfulness,  and 
kindness  of  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  performing  their  act  of 
public  homage  to  his  Name,  such  holy  cheerfulness  was  expressly 
enjoined  upon  them: — "Thou  shalt  rejoice,"  says  Moses,  "in  every 
good  thing  which  the  Lord  thy  God  hath  given  unto  thee,  and  unto 
thy  house,  thou,  and  the  Levite,  and  the  stranger  that  is  among 
you."  But  this  rejoicing  was  to  be  connected  with  their  devoting 
a  liberal  allowance  of  the  Divine  bounty  for  the  benefit  of  others: — 
"When  thou  hast  made  an  end  of  tithing  all  the  tithes  of  thine 
increase  the  third  year,  which  is  the  year  of  tithing,  and  hast  given 
it  unto  the  Levite,  the  stranger,  the  fatherless,  and  the  widow, 
that  they  may  eat  within  thy  gates  and  be  filled ;  then  thou  shalt 
say  before  the  Lord  thy  God,  I  have  brought  away  the  hallowed 
things  out  of  my  house,  and  also  have  given  them  to  the  Levite, 
to  the  stranger,  to  the  fatherless,  and  to  the  widow,  according  to 
all  thy  commandments  which  thou  hast  commanded  me.  I  have 
not  transgressed  thy  commandments,  neither  have  I  forgotten  them." 
Deut.  xxvi.  11-13.  This  is  one  of  the  proper  uses  of  God's  bounty. 
He  gives,  to  enable  us  to  give ;  he  blesses,  that  we  may  be  a  bless- 
ing. And  a  compliance,  from  right  principles,  with  the  design  of 
the  Giver,  renders  his  bounty,  to  him  who  possesses  it,  a  source 
of  the  purest  and  most  exquisite  enjoyment.  "  It  is  more  blessed," 
said  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  to  give,  than  to  receive :" — and  the  saying. 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  89 

infinitely  worthy  of  Him  who  set  us  so  wonderful  an  example  of 
disinterested  beneficence,  has  been  found  true  in  the  sweet  experience 
of  every  man  who  has  laid  himself  out,  in  the  use  of  his  substance, 
as  far  as  God  has  prospered  him,  for  the  welfare  of  all  within  the 
reach  of  his  influence.  This  is  incomparably  more  satisfying,  both 
in  the  act  and  in  the  reflection,  than  any  gratification  of  selfish- 
ness, than  any  indulgence  of  "the  lust  of  the  flesh,  or  the  lust  of 
the  eyes,  or  the  pride  of  life."  "Charge  them  that  are  rich  in 
this  world,"  therefore,  "that  they  be  not  high-minded,  nor  trust 
in  uncertain  riches,  but  in  the  living  God,  who  giveth  us  richly 
all  things  to  enjoy;  that  they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good 
works,  ready  to  distribute,  willing  to  communicate;  laying  up  in 
store  for  themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to  come, 
that  they  may  lay  hold  on  eternal  life."  1  Tim.  vi.  17-19. 

To  the  present  enjoyment  and  the  jiresent  use  of  the  gifts  of 
God,  we  should  be  excited  by  the  truth  illustrated  in  the  pre- 
ceding part  of  the  chapter, — the  absolute  and  uncontrollable  na- 
ture of  God's  purposes  and  dispensations.  They  cannot  be  al- 
tered or  turned  aside  by  any  effort  of  human  power,  or  of  human 
Avisdom.  It  may  be  His  sovereign  intention,  soon  to  order  a 
change  in  our  situation ;  soon  to  deprive  us  of  our  present  sources 
of  enjoyment,  and  means  of  usefulness.  And  what  a  sad  thing 
will  it  be,  if  it  shall  be  found  that,  during  our  time  of  permitted 
possession,  we  have  not  properly  improved  his  goodness,  either 
for  ourselves,  for  others,  or  for  Him!  It  is  this  consideration,  of 
the  immutability  of  the  Divine  purposes,  that  is  urged  upon  our 
attention  in 

Verse  14.  I  know  that  whatsoever  God  doeth,  it  sludl  be  for  ever: 
nothing  can  he  put  to  it,  nor  any  thing  taken  from  it:  and  God  doeth 
it,  that  men  should  fear  before  him. 

"  It  shall  be  for  ever."  It  must  stand.  It  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  all  created  power,  to  prevent  or  to  alter  it.  "The  counsel  of 
the  Lord  standeth  for  ever ;  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  to  all  gene- 
rations." "He  doeth  according  to  his  will,  in  the  army  of  hea- 
ven, and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth;  and  none  can  stay 
his  hand,  or  say  unto  him.  What  doest  thou?"  "Remember  the 
former  things  of  old ;  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else ;  I  am 
God,  and  there  is  none  like  me;  declaring  the  end  from  the  be- 


90  LECTURE  V. 

ginning,  aijd  from  ancient  times  the  things  that  are  not  yet  done, 
saying,  My  counsel  shall  stand,  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure." 
Psal.  xxxiii.  11.    Dan.  iv.  35.    Isa.  xlvi.  9,  10. 

"Nothing  can  be  put  to  it,  nor  any  thing  taken  from  it."  These 
words  might  be  interpreted  of  the  perfection  of  God's  j)urposes; 
they  being,  in  every  respect,  so  excellent,  that  to  add  to  them,  or 
to  take  from  them,  Avould  be  to  deteriorate  and  destroy  them.  But 
in  the  connection  in  which  they  stand  here,  they  seem  rather  in- 
tended to  ex-press  the  imjyossibility  of  altering  these  purposes;  the 
folly  of  attempting,  or  even  of  imagining,  such  a  thing  for  a  mo- 
ment. The  Supreme  Ruler  forms  his  determinations,  and  ar- 
ranges his  plans,  without  the  counsel  of  any  created  being;  for 
"  who  hath  directed  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  or,  being  his  counsel- 
lor, hath  taught  Him?  With  whom  took  he  counsel,  or  who  in- 
structed him,  and  taught  him  in  the  path  of  judgment,  and  taught 
him  knowledge,  and  showed  to  him  the  way  of  understanding?" 
No  wisdom,  and  no  power,  of  any  creature,  or  of  all  creatures 
combined,  can  alter  them;  no,  not  a  single  hair's  breadth.  Nothing 
can  be  added,  nothing  taken  away.  "  There  are  many  devices  in 
a  man's  heart;  nevertheless,  the  counsel  of  the  Lord,  that  shall 
stand."  "There  is  no  wisdom,  nor  understanding,  nor  counsel, 
against  the  Lord."  "Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise  thee; 
the  remainder  of  wrath  wilt  thou  restrain."  "  Shall  the  axe  boast 
itself  against  him  that  heweth  therewith?  or  shall  the  saw  mag- 
nify itself  against  him  that  shaketh  it?  as  if  the  rod  should  shake 
itself  against  them  that  lift  it  up,  or  as  if  the  staflP  should  lift  up 
itself  as  if  it  were  no  wood !"  The  last  pasr,age  is  part  of  the 
spirited  reply  to  the  boasted  arrogance  of  the  king  of  Assyria,  who 
indulged  his  own  proud  and  insatiable  ambition,  gloried  in  past 
success,  and  exulted  in  confident  anticipation,  having  it  "in  his 
heart  to  destroy  and  cut  off  nations  not  a  few;"  but  whose  un- 
principled passions  were,  all  the  while,  though  "  he  meant  not  so, 
neither  did  his  heart  think  so,"  subserving  the  secret  purposes  of 
Jehovah.  See  Isa.  x.  5-15.  Prov.  xix.  21.  xxi.  30.  Psal.  Ixxvi.  10. 

The  proper  influence  of  the  contemplation  of  God's  uncontrolla- 
ble sovereignty,  and  of  the  utter  impotence  of  human  power  and 
wisdom  to  effect  any  change  in  His  purposes  is,  to  fill  the  heart 
with  "reverence  and  godly  fear:" — "God  doeth  it  that  men  may 
fear  before  him."     All  the  displays  of  his  absolute  supremacy  over 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  91 

his  creatures,  should  have  this  effect:  aud  the  more  we  accustom 
ourselves  to  the  contemplation  of  them,  and  of  the  numberless  in- 
dications of  our  entire  and  unceasing  dependence,  the  more  will 
our  minds  become  imbued  with  the  sentiments  of  religious  awe; 
the  more  will  we  "  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  our  hearts,  and  make 
Him  our  fear  and  our  dread ;"  and  adopt,  with  the  deeper  humili- 
ty, the  language  of  sublime  adoration:  "Great  and  marvellous 
are  thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty;  just  and  true  are  thy  ways, 
thou  King  of  saints.  Who  shall  not  fear  thee,  O  Lord,  and  glori- 
fy thy  name?  for  thou  only  art  holy!"  Eev.  xv;  3,  4. 

The  15th  verse  is  very  nearly  a  repetition  of  the  sentiment  ex- 
pressed in  the  ninth  and  tenth  verses  of  the  first  chapter.  There 
he  had  said,  "  The  thing  which  hath  been,  is  that  which  shall  be ; 
and  that  which  is  done,  is  that  which  shall  be  done :  and  there 
is  no  new  thing  under  the  sun.  Is  there  any  thing  whereof  it 
may  be  said,  See,  this  is  new?  It  hath  been  already  of  old  time, 
which  was  before  us."     Here  he  sal^s,  more  briefly. 

Verse  15.  That  which  hath  been,  is  now ;  and  that  which  is  to  be 
hath  already  been;  and  God  requireth  that  which  is  ^^ast. 

God's  requiring,  or  recalling,  that  which  is  past,  seems  simply 
to  mean,  his  repeating  the  same  scenes,  in  the  administration  of 
his  providence,  through  successive  generations.  The  general  plan 
of  his  procedure  is,  in  its  leading  features,  and  in  many  even  of 
its  minuter  details,  the  same  from  age  to  age,  so  as  to  present  the 
appearance,  described  by  various  similitudes  in  the  opening  of  the 
book,  of  constant  sameness  in  the  midst  of  ceaseless  change.  As, 
in  surveying  the  endless  variety  of  the  works  of  nature,  we  can 
discern,  pervading  the  whole,  the  clearest  indications  of  the  same 
great  principles  of  operation,  leading  us  to  the  adoring  acknow- 
ledgment of  one  almighty  and  all- wise  Intelligence;  so  may  we, 
in  the  course  of  the  Divine  government  of  our  world,  discover, 
amidst  all  the  changes  of  its  eventful  history,  abundant  evidence 
that  the  same  God  continues  to  reign.  Few  indeed  are  the  events 
that  occur  in  any  age,  which  may  not  find  their  parallels,  or  at 
least,  their  resemblances,  in  the  annals  of  preceding  times. 

The  passage  suggests  the  following  practical  reflections : — 

1.  In  the  first  place.  In  the  midst  of  the  vicissitudes  of  this 
incessantly  changing  world,  let  us  look  forward  with  hope  and 
joy  to  that  blessed  state,  where  changes,  shall  for  ever  cease;  where 


92  LECTURE  V. 

there  shall  .be  the  fixed  security  of  perfect,  unminglecl,  and  un- 
ending felicity.  Here,  there  may  be  many  changes  to  the  better ; 
there,  every  change  would  be  to  the  worse, — every  alteration  a 
deduction  of  joy.  There,  there  will  be  no  plucking  up  and  break- 
ing down;  no  losing  and  scattering;  no  weeping  and  mourning; 
no  hatred  and  war;  no  remains  of  the  curse,  because  no  remains  of 
sin.  There,  shall  not  only  be  life,  but  immortality.  There,  shall 
never  again  come  "a  time  to  die."  How  delightful,  whilst  con- 
templating and  experiencing  the  instability  and  fickleness  of  earthly 
things,  to  anticij)ate  that  everlasting  rest; — that  paradise,  of 
which  the  trees  are  trees  of  life,  that  shall  never  be  rooted  out 
by  violence,  and  never  yield  to  decay; — that  '^ city  which  hath 
foundations,"  and  whose  walls  shall  never  be  shaken ; — that  land 
of  victory  and  triumph,  and  covenanted  peace,  whose  trophies  and 
memorials  shall  never  be  overthrown  and  scattered; — that  abode 
of  joy,  where  there  shall  never  come  to  its  happy  residents  "a 
time  to  weej),"  for  "God  shaM  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their 
eyes;  where  the  white  robes  of  purity  and  gladness  shall  never  be 
rent  asunder  by  the  intrusions  of  grief,  for  "sorrow  and  sighing 
shall  flee  away;" — where  the  silence  of  distrust  and  jealousy  shall 
never  close  the  lips,  but  all  shall  be  "  of  one  heart  and  of  one 

soul,"— 

"  Each  finds  in  each  a  glowing  friend, 
And  all  the  God  of  all  adore." 

And  when,  my  Christian  brethren,  we  look  forward  to  this 
glorious  and  happy  state,  can  we  possibly  envy  "the  men  of  the 
world  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life?"  Do  you  not  rather 
most  sincerely  pity  them? — pity  them,  when  you  behold  them 
seeking  their  happiness  amongst  such  transient  uncertainties? — 
pity  them,  when  you  hear  them  repeating  the  universal  inquiry, 
"Who  will  show  us  any  good?"  and,  obtaining  no  satisfactory 
answer,  "still  dreaming  on,  that  they  shall  still  succeed,  and  still" 
miserably  "disappointed?" — the  unsubstantial  bubbles  of  earthly 
joy  glittering,  it  may  be,  for  the  moment,  in  rainbow  light,  but 
all  successively  bursting  and  vanishing.  O  that  men  would  be 
persuaded,  to  give  up  the  foolish  expectation  of  permanent  satis- 
faction from  those  things  that  "perish  in  the  using;" — from  this 
vain  and  unsettled  world, 

"Whose  scenes  of  bliss  and  wo 

Are  shifting  everj'  fleeting  hour!" 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  93 

and  to  seek  true  happiness,  where  alone  it  is  to  be  found,  in  the 
favor  of  an  unchanging  God,  and  the  hope  of  an  unchanging 
heaven, — of  that  "life  and  incorruption,  which  are  brought  to 
light  by  the  gospel !" 

2.  In  the  second  place.  Whilst  we  are  tenants  of  this  world, 
it  will  be  well  for  us  to  expect  vicissitude, — to  lay  our  account  with 
changes.  This  will  serve  to  prevent  our  being  unhinged  and 
overwhelmed  when  such  changes  come,  as  those  are  ajit  to  be  by 
whom  they  have  never  been  anticipated.  Whilst,  in  the  season 
of  adversity,  we  comfort  ourselves  with  the  hope  that  better  days 
may  yet  await  us;  that  light  may  arise  to  us  out  of  darkness; 
that  though  "weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  joy  shall  come  in 
the  morning;"  let  us  also,  in  the  time  of  our  prosperity,  beware 
of  saying,  with  inconsiderate  confidence,  "we  shall  never  be 
moved," — of  trusting  to  the  continuance  of  the  serene  calm,  or  the 
propitious  gale.  Let  us  be  always  on  the  look-out  for  the  rising 
cloud,  and  keep  our  vessel  in  trim  for  the  storm.  In  prosperity, 
let  us  be  ready  for  adversity;  in  health,  for  sickness;  in  laughter, 
for  mourning;  in  life,  for  death.  If  Providence  favors  us  with 
"  a  time  to  get,"  let  us  calculate  on  the  world's  instability,  and 
not  be  astonished  and  disconcerted  if  there  should  come  "a  time 
to  lose."  When  we  are  in  circumstances  to  plant  and  build,  let 
us  not  forget  that  we  may  soon  be  disinherited  of  our  estate,  and 
obliged  to  quit  our  habitation. 

3.  In  the  third  place.  Whatever  changes  do  take  place,  let 
us  be  satisfied  with  the  providence  of  God.  I  do  not  mean  by  this, 
that  we  should  merely  submit  from  necessity — from  a  feeling 
forced  upon  us,  that  our  case  cannot  be  helped,  and  cannot  be  al- 
tered, and  that,  therefore,  repining  is  useless.  There  is  a  mighty 
difference  between  this  state  of  mind,  and  that  resignation  which 
springs  from  the  pious  assurance  that  all  God's  ways  are  wisdom, 
and  faithfulness,  and  love :  that  whilst,  in  his  administration,  "  to 
every  thing  there  is  a  season,  and  a  time  for  every  purpose  under 
the  sun,"  the  times  and  the  seasons  are  all  determined  with  un- 
erring propriety, — all  as  they  ought  to  be.  This  is  the  satisfaction 
with  God's  providence  which  I  now  recommend.  It  is,  "having 
faith  in  God;" — even  although  his  procedure  should  at  times  be 
to  us  inscrutable,  yet  "against  hope  believing  in  hope,"  that  "all 
things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  Him,  to  them 


94  LECTUKE  V. 

who  are  the  called  according  to  his  purpose;" — and,  in  this  con- 
fidence, being  ever  ready  to  say, 

"Thy  ways,  great  God,  are  little  known 
To  my  weak,  erring  sight ; 
Yet  shall  my  sonl,  believing,  own 
That  all  thy  ways  are  right." 

And  the  principles  of  this  confidence  we  may  and  ought  to  apply 
to  the  whole  of  the  Divine  procedure,  whether  towards  individuals, 
or  families,  or  nations,  or  Christian  societies,  or  his  church  and 
kingdom  in  the  world.  Let  our  song  of  faith  ever  be,  "Hallelu- 
jah! for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth!" 

Thoughtless  sinners,  allow  me  to  remind  you,  that  there  is  one 
of  the  Divine  counsels,  respecting  which  it  may,  with  peculiar 
emphasis,  be  affirmed,  "  It  shall  be  for  ever ;  nothing  can  be  added 
to  it,  nor  any  thing  taken  from  it."  It  was  his  purpose  from 
eternity  to  save  sinners  of  mankind  by  the  mediation  of  his  Son. 
And  when,  in  the  history  of  our  fallen  world,  "  the  fulness  of  the 
time  was  come,"  he  fulfilled  his  purpose;  when  "  He  who  was  in  the 
form  of  God,  and  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  made 
himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men ;  and,  being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  humbled  himself  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even 
the  death  of  the  cross."  "  He  was  wounded  for  our  trasgressions, 
he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities."  "All  we  like  sheep  have  gone 
astray ;  we  have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way ;  and  the  Lord 
hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  He  finished  the  work 
which  was  given  him  to  do.  In  that  finished  work  Jehovah  is 
well  pleased.  '  His  satisfaction  in  his  Son,  and  in  the  work  of  his 
Son,  is  infinite  and  everlasting.  Eternity  can  never  diminish  it. 
And  his  declared  determination  is  immutable  as  his  nature,  to 
receive  sinners  only  in  his  name,  and,  for  his  sake  alone,  to  "be 
merciful  to  their  unrighteousnesses."  On  no  other  ground  than 
the  righteousness  and  atonement  of  the  Divine  Mediator  will  he 
admit  of  their  approach  into  his  presence;  on  no  other  ground 
will  he  listen  to  their  pleadings  for  mercy;  on  no  other  ground 
will  he  bless  and  save  them.  The  foundation  which  God  has  laid 
in  Zion  for  the  hopes  of  sinners,  he  himself  has  declared  to  be  "  a 
sure  foundation ;"  and  it  partakes  not  of  the  instability  of  earthly 
things.     It  can  never  be  swept  away;  and  what  is  built  upon  it 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1-15.  95 

can  never  be  overthrown.  But  it  is  the  only  foundation.  "Other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid ;  which  is  Jesus  Christ." 
You  can  add  nothing  to  the  work  which  he  finished,  in  the  room 
of  sinners,  on  the  cross;  and  you  must  take  nothing  from  it.  You 
must  rest  upon  it  with  humble  simplicity  of  heart,  as  it  is  revealed 
in  the  gospel.  The  purpose  of  God  is  firm;  it  cannot  be  altered. 
"  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  is  not  condemned :  but  he  that  be- 
lieveth  not  is  condemned  already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in 
the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God."  "  He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life;  and  he  that  believeth  not  the 
Son,  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him." 
John  iii.  18,  36. 


LECTURE  VI 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  16-22.    IV.  1-3. 

"And,  moreover,  I  saw  under  the  sun  the  place  of  judgment,  (that)  wicked- 
ness (was)  there;  and  the  place  of  righteousness,  (that)  iniquity  (was)  there. 
17.  I  said  in  mine  heart,  God  shall  judge  the  righteous  and  the  wicked : 
for  (there  is)  a  time  there  for  every  purpose,  and  for  every  work.  18.  I 
said  in  mine  heart  concerning  the  estate  of  the  sons  of  men,  that  God  might 
manifest  them,  and  that  they  might  see  that  they  themselves  are  beasts. 
19.  For  that  which  befalleth  the  sons  of  men  befalleth  beasts;  even  one 
thing  befalleth  them:  as  the  one  dieth,  so  dieth  the  other;  yea,  they  have 
all  one  breath ;  so  that  a  man  hath  no  pre-eminence  above  a  beast :  for  all 
(is)  vanity.  20.  All  go  unto  one  place:  all  are  of  the  dust,  and  all  return 
to  dust  again.  21.  Who  knoweth  the  spirit  of  man  that  goeth  upward,  and 
the  spirit  of  the  beast  that  goeth  downward  to  the  earth?  22.  Wherefore  I 
perceive  that  (there  is)  nothing  better,  than  that  a  man  should  rejoice  in 
his  own  works;  for  that  (is)  his  portion:  for  who  shall  bring  him  to  see 
what  shall  be  after  him?" 

"So  I  returned,  and  considered  all  the  oppressions  that  are  done  under  the 
sun:  and  behold  the  tears  of  (such  as  were)  oppressed,  and  they  had  no 
comforter;  and  on  the  side  of  their  oppressors  (there  was)  power;  but  they 
had  no  comforter.  2.  Wherefore  I  praised  the  dead  who  are  already  dead, 
more  than  the  living  who  are  yet  alive.  3.  Yea,  better  (is  he)  than  both 
they,  which  hath  not  yet  been,  who  hath  not  yet  seen  the  evil  work  that  is 
done  under  the  sun." 

Amongst  the  sources  of  unhappiness  and  vexation  of  spirit,  dis- 
covered by  Solomon  in  his  survey  of  human  life,  he  mentions,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  passage  now  read,  the  frequent  exaltation  of 
unprincipled  men  to  places  of  power  and  authority,  their  viola- 
tions of  the  very  laws  which  they  had  been  appointed  to  adminis- 
ter and  to  guard  from  infringement,  and  their  administration  of 
them  with  injustice,  partiality,  and  corruption. 

Verse  16.  And  moreover,  I  satv  under  the  mn  the  place  of  judg- 
ment, that  loickcdness  was  there,  and  the  place  of  righteousness,  that 
iniquity  teas  there. 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  16-22.      IV.  1-3.  97 

\ 

Different  views  have  been  suggested  of  the  connection  of  this 
particular  passage  with  the  leading  object  of  the  book. 

In  the  first  place.  It  has  been  considered  as  an  intended  check  to 
the  vanity  of  ambition.  The  possession  of  power  brings  invaria- 
bly along  with  it  a  temptation  to  its  perversion  and  abuse:  a 
temptation  so  strong,  that  many  who,  previously  to  their  advance- 
ment, have  appeared  to  ''walk  uprightly,"  ''doing  justly  and  lov- 
ing mercy,"  have  no  sooner  been  raised  to  a  perilous  eminence 
than  they  have  fallen  before  it,  and,  to  the  surprise  and  disa])- 
l^ointment  of  all,  have  assumed  the  character  of  unrighteous  and 
ruthless  oppressors.  As  the  seat  of  power,  then,  is  not  always  the 
seat  of  true  honor,  and  as  it  is  surrounded  Avitli  temptations  to 
such  conduct  as  may  cover  its  possessor  with  infamy  and  execra- 
tion, let  aspiring  ambition  be  repressed ;  let  the  man  who  is  seek- 
ing happiness  in  the  attainment  of  power,  pause  and  bethink  him- 
self, and  not  indulge  too  sanguine  expectations  and  assurances  of 
finding  what  he  seeks.  Let  him  not  deride  the  warning,  and,  in 
self-confident  presumption,  pronounce  it  impossible  that  he  should 
ever  act  a  part,  which  so  many,  who  had  quite  as  good  ground  for 
vaunting,  have  acted  before  him.  Xo  man  knows  what  is  in  his 
heart,  till  his  heart  has  been  tried  by  the  eliciting  powers  of  temp- 
'tation.  Besides,  even  the  upright  and  conscientious  ruler  may 
suffer  by  his  official  connection  with  others,  and  by  that  gene- 
ralizing principle  of  association,  which  attaches  the  character  of 
the  individual  magistrate  to  the  office  which  he  holds,  and,  from 
the  delinquency  of  a  few,  condemns  or  suspects  all,  and  loads  them 
with  indiscriminate  obloquy.  We  know  well  how  unfairly  this 
principle  frequently  02:^rates;  and  how  difficult  it  is  for  a  man, 
even  of  the  purest  integrity  and  the  most  consummate  prudence, 
to  avoid  incurring  his  share,  however  undeserved,  of  this  official 
odium,  and  to  preserve  his  reputation  unsullied. 

Secondly.  The  abuse  of  power  by  unrighteous  and  Avicked  judges 
and  governors,  is  a  source  of  very  extensive  unhappiness  to  the 
people  who  are  placed  under  its  influence.  Where  there  is  "re- 
spect of  persons,  and  taking  of  bribes,"  the  poor  are  oppressed,  their 
substance  is  spoiled,  their  dues  are  kept  back  by  fraud,  their  wrongs 
are  unredressed,  and  the  evils  of  poverty  are  ten-fold  accumulated. 
The  unequal  administration  of  law  and  justice  produces  between  the 
poor  and  the  rich,  and  amongst  the  rich  themselves,  envies,  and 
7 


98  LECTURE  VI. 

jealousieij,  and  quarrels,  and  mutual  disquietudes  and  appre- 
hensions. As  the  impartial  distribution  of  justice  is  one  of  the 
highest  blessings  that  Providence  can  confer  upon  a  country,  its 
opposite  is  one  of  the  deepest  curses,  a  source  of  the  most  mul- 
tifarious and  aggravated  misery.  No  wonder,  then,*that  in  his 
survey  of  the  condition  of  mankind,  and  in  forming  his  estimate 
of  human  happiness,  the  Koyal  observer  should  have  marked 
amongst  his  memoranda  this  fountain  of  bitter  waters,  which,  ris- 
ing in  "the  high  places"  of  the  earth,  pours  it  wormwood  streams 
to  so  melancholy  an  extent  over  the  peopled  valleys  beneath. 

Thirdly.  The  existence  and  contemplation  of  such  scenes  of  in- 
iquity and  oppression,  were  an  occasion  of  much  disquietude  and 
vexation  to  Solomon's  own  mind;  disgusting  him  with  the  world; 
fretting  and  irritating  his  spirit;  marring  his  enjoyment;  and 
frustrating  his  hopes.  Even  in  his  own  kingdom,  where  he  wished 
impartial  justice  to  be  administered  to  all  his  subjects,  he  had 
found  it,  we  may  presume,  impossible,  with  all  his  care,  to  pre- 
vent intirely  the  intrusion  of  improper  characters  into  places  of 
trust  and  power.  He  was  disappointed  and  provoked  by  com- 
plaints from  various  parts  of  his  dominions,  respecting  the  con- 
duct of  those  whom  he  had  appointed  to  be  "a  terror  to  evil-doers, 
and  a  praise  of  them  that  do  well ;"  and,  possibly,  he  sometimes  * 
found  least  satisfaction  where  he  had,  and  with  apparent  reason, 
expected  most.  This  was  one  of  the  many  cares  and  crosses  of 
royalty,  that  rendered  its  honors  and  pleasures  irksome  and  dis- 
tasteful ;  one  of  the  thorns  in  his  crown  by  day,  and  in  his  pillow 
of  down  by  night.  He  knew,  besides,  that  such  evils  were  not 
confined  to  his  own  kingdom,  but  were  exhibited  on  a  much  more 
extensive  scale,  and  in  a  much  more  distressing  degree,  in  other 
countries,  with  whose  past  and  present  history  he  was  acquainted. 

"  His  ear  was  pain'd, 

His  heart  -was  sick,  with  every  day's  report 

Of  wrong  and  outrage,  with  which  earth  was  fiU'd." 

If  we  compare  this  verse  with  the  beginning  of  the  next  chap- 
ter, where  the  same  subject  is  resumed,  we  shall  be  satisfied,  that 
it  is  this  third  idea  that  Solomon  had  principally  in  his  mind : — 
"So  I  returned,  and  considered  all  the  oppressions  that  were  done 
under  the  sun :  and  behold,  the  tears  of  such  as  were  ojjpressed, 
and  they  had  no  comforter;  and  on  the  side  of  their  oppressors 


ECCLESIASTE5  III.  16-22.     IV.  1-3.  99 

there  was  power,  but  they  had  no  comforter.  Wherefore  I  praised 
the  dead  who  are  already  dead,  more  than  the  living  who  are  yet 
alive.  Yea,  better  is  he  than  both  they,  who  hath  not  yet  been, 
who  hath  not  seen  the  evil  work  that  is  done  under  the  sun." 
These  verses  contain  an  amplification  of  the  same  sentiment  we 
have  just  been  considering.  The  language  is  very  strong;  yet 
not  stronger  than  the  scene  described  is  sufficient  to  justify;  for 
nothing  can  well  be  conceived  more  fitted  to  rouse  up  all  the  latent 
indignation  of  a  generous  and  compassionate  spirit.  Solomon's 
mind  was  so  deeply  affected  by  the  miseries  consequent  on  the 
abuse  of  authority,  especially  under  arbitrary  and  despotic  govern- 
ments,— where  power  takes  the  place  of  right;  Avhere  the  oppressed 
can  neither  escape  nor  obtain  redress;  and  where  none  have  the 
courage  to  stand  forth  as  the  protectors  and  vindicators  of  injured 
innocence,  or  even  to  act  the  part  of  its  private  comforters, — that 
he  "praised  the  dead,"  because  their  hearts  could  no  longer  be 
harassed  and  torn  by  the  view  of  such  scenes,  and  the  bitter 
feeling  of  incompetence  to  mend  them ;  and,  to  their  situation,  he 
even  preferred  that  of  the  unborn  child, — of  "him  who  had  not 
yet  been ;"  who  had  never  at  all  witnessed  such  wickedness,  and 
such  misery  resulting  from  it,  nor  had  his  sensibilities  crucified 
by  the  contemplation  of  them.  Life  appeared  hateful  to  him, — 
death  and  non-existence  preferable.  He  could  not  endure  a  world 
where  such  profligacy  and  such  wretchedness  prevailed. 

The  reflection  in  the  seventeenth  verse  is,  in  this  view  of  its 
connection,  a  very  solemn  and  affecting  one: — 

Verse  17.  I  said  in  my  heart,  God  shall  judf/e  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked;  for  there  is  a  time  therefor  every  purpose,  and  for  every  icork. 

Some  may  be  disposed  to  view  it  as  a  consolation  to  the  mind  of 
Solomon,  to  be  assured,  that  "the  righteous  God,  who  loveth 
righteousness"  would  not  be  a  spectator  of  such  scenes  of  evil,  and 
always  keep  silence;  that  he  would  call  to  a  fearful  reckoning  the 
unrighteous  and  unmerciful  oppressor,  and  avenge  the  victims  of 
wrong  and  cruelty.  "There  is  a  time  there, ^^  that  is,  "there  is  a 
time"  with  God  in  heaven,  "for  every  purpose,  and  for  every 
work."  There  is  with  him  "a  time  to  keep  silence,  and  a  time  to 
speak ;"  See  Psalm  50: 3,  a  time  to  mark  and  register  human  crimes, 
and  a  time  to  "  bring  them  into  judgment."  Of  such  wicked  men, 
"the  judgment  lingereth  not,  the  damnation  slumbereth  not." 


100  LECTUBE  VI. 

But,  although  it  is  true,  that  by  the  final  judgments  of  a  holy 
and  just  God,  every  wrong  and  evil  shall  be  thoroughly  accounted 
for  and  rectified, — the  righteous  acquitted,  and  the  wicked  con- 
demned ;  and  although  this  is,  in  one  view,  a  most  gratifying  and 
consolatory  truth: — yet  I  cannot  help  thinking,  that  the  reflection 
in  verse  17th,  was  made  with  a  sigh, — a  deep  and  heavy  sigh;  not, 
indeed,  implying  any  secret  regret  that  such  works  were  to  be 
brought  into  judgment,  or  any  wish  that  they  should  not;  but, 
in  the  midst  of  the  satisfactory  assurance  that  they  should,  an  aw- 
ful and  shuddering  anticipation  of  the  horrors  of  the  coming  re- 
tribution. The  distress,  arising  from  the  contemplation  of  hu- 
man wickedness,  is  a  thousand-fold  aggravated  to  the  mind  of  him 
who  connects  it  with  the  "judgment  to  come."  Whilst  it  becomes 
us  to  acquiesce,  and  that  with  satisfaction,  in  the  propriety  of  such 
wickedness  being  brought  to  merited  punishment  by  the  wronged 
and  insulted  Majesty  of  Heaven,  we  cannot  but  be  deeply  pained 
when  we  think  of  such  cause  being  given  for  the  infliction  of  his 
veng3ance,  when  we  see  ungodly  men  "treasuring  up  unto  them- 
selves wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of  the  right- 
eous judgment  of  God."  The  feelings  of  piety  are  not  incompati- 
ble with  the  feelings  of  humanity.  A  holy  assent  to  the  execution 
of  the  awards  of  justice  in  the  merited  punishment  of  impenitent 
transgressors,  and  a  solemn  delight  in  the  manifestation  of  the  Di- 
vine glory  in  their  destruction,  do  not  at  all  require  that  we  should 
feel  pleasure  in  the  suiferings  themselves  of  our  fellow-creatures, 
however  j  ustly  inflicted.  On  the  contrary,  the  anticipation  of  them 
sends  home  to  the  heart  a  pang  of  indescribable  agony.  The 
blessed  God  himself,  whom  we  should  seek  in  every  imitable  part 
of  his  character  to  resemble,  hath  said,  "As  I  live,  I  have  no  plea- 
sure in  the  death  of  the  wicked ;  but  rather  that  he  Avould  turn 
from  lijs  wicked  way  and  live."  Ezek.  xxxiii.  11.  The  general 
meaning,  therefore,  of  this  part  of  the  passage  appears  to  be,  that 
the  enjoyment  of  life  was  marred  and  imbittered  to  Solomon,  by 
the  sight  and  the  hearing  of  the  oppression  and  injustice  preva- 
lent in  the  world;  and  that,  whilst  the  assurance  of  a  righteous 
judgment  to  come  imparted  to  his  mind  relief  and  comfort  in  one 
view,  it  added  inconceivably,  in  another,  to  the  weight  of  distress 
by  which  his  heart  was  burdened. 

Froiii  this  verse,  and  from  various  other  parts  of  the  book,  it 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  1 6-22.     IV.   1-3.  .  101 

is  manifest,  that  Solomon  understood  and  believed  for  himself, 
and  also,  that  he  taught  to  others,  the  doctrines  of  a  future  judg- 
ment, and  a  future  state  of  happiness  and  misery ;  and  that  the 
fancy  of  some  is  destitute  of  foundation,  by  whom  this  Book  has 
been  interpreted,  as  if  it  proceeded  throughout  upon  ignorance  of 
these  important  truths,  as  not  having  been  at  that  time  clearly  re- 
vealed:— a  hypothesis,  which  it  seems  passing  strange  that  any 
person  Avho  has  read  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  should  ever 
have  seriously  espoused;  yet  which  has  been  made  the  basis  of 
the  most  ingenious  and  learned  speculations,  relative  to  the  nature 
of  the  Mosaic  Economy,  and  the  evidence  of  its  Divine  authority. 
The  subject  may  come  in  our  vray  again.  At  present,  any  dis- 
cussion of  it  would  lead  us  too  much  away  from  the  scope  and  de- 
sign of  the  passage  under  review. 

Verses  18-20.  I  said  in  my  heart,  concerning  the  estate  of  the  sons 
of  men,  that  God  might  manifest  them,  and  that  they  might  see  that 
they  themselves  are  beasts.  For  that  which  hefalleth  the  sons  of  men 
hefalleth  beasts;  even  one  thing  hefalleth  them:  as  the  one  dieth,  so 
dieth  the  other ;  yea,  they  have  all  one  breath;  so  that  a  man  hath  no 
pre-eminence  above  a  beast;  for  all  is  vanity.  All  go  to  one  j^lace: 
all  are  of  the  dust,  and  all  turn  to  dust  again. 

I  am  disposed  to  consider  these  verses  as  still  the  language  of 
Solomon  himself:  for  the  opinion  of  some,  that  they  should  be 
interpreted  as  if  spoken  by  a  materialist,  or  atheistical  objector,  is 
incapable,  I  think,  of  being  maintained  in  any  consistency  with 
the  plain  construction  of  the  passage.  Considering  them  as  the 
language  of  Solomon,  there  appears  to  be  one  thing  only  necessary 
to  be  admitted,  in  order  to  render  their  meaning  intelligible  and 
clear;  namely,  that  by  "the  sons  of  men"  we  are  to  understand  the 
general  mass  of  mankind,  who  live  for  this  world,  and  have  their 
portion  in  it.  And  this  is  not,  surely,  an  unreasonable  postulate. 
On  the  principle  that  the  vast  majority  of  mankind  live  for  them- 
selves and  for  time,  and  that  those  who  live  for  God  and  eternity 
are  the  exceptions  to  the  general  character,  the  same  designation 
is,  in  other  places,  used  in  this  restricted  sense.  "O  ye  soiis  of 
men,  how  long  will  ye  turn  my  glory  into  shame?  how  long  will 
ye  love  vanity,  and  follow  after  leasing?"  "Unto  you,  O  men,  I 
call,  and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  men:  O  ye  simple,  understand 
wisdom ;  and  ye  fools,  be  ye  of  an  understanding  heart."     And 


102  I.ECTURK  VI. 

even  in  this  book :  '*  Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not 
executed  speedily,  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set  in  them 
to  do  evil."  "Also  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  full  of  evil,  and 
madness  is  in  their  heart  while  they  live;  and  after  that  they  go 
to  the  dead."  Psalm  iv.  2.  Prov.  viii.  4,  5.  Eccles.viii.il.  ix. 
3.  Besides,  it  will  appear  still  more  clearly  by  and  by,  that  in 
this  passage  itself,  Solomon  affirms  the  certainty  of  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul  and  a  future  judgment,  and  that,  Avhen  he  rea- 
sons of  the  vanity  of  life,  he  has  in  his  view  this  life  considered  by 
itself,  as  alas!  it  so  generally  is  by  thoughtless  and  ungodly  men. 
The  eighteenth  verse,  then,  may  be  considered  as  expressing 
the  wish  or  desire  of  Solomon's  heart,  after  he  had  learned,  by 
much  bitter  experience,  the  proper  estimate  of  all  the  sources  of 
worldly  enjoyment,  that  God  would  reveal  to  the  sons  of  men  what 
was  their  real  state  and  character,  as  long  as  they  were  devoting 
themselves,  in  affection  and  pursuit,  to  these  alone, — as  long  as  they 
continued  "men  of  the  world  who  have  their  portion  in  this  life;" — 
"I  said  in  my  heart,  concerning  the  estate  of  the  sons  of  men,  O 
that  God  might  manifest  them,"  (that  is,  to  themselves,  according 
to  what  follows,)  "and  that  they  might  see  that  they  themselves 
are  beasts ;" — that  whilst  they  grovel  amongst  worldly  pleasures 
alone;  whilst  "earth  confines  their  low  desires;"  they  degrade  their 
immortal  nature;  they  sink  themselves  to  a  level  with  the  beasts 
that  perish.  For,  in  as  far  as  mere  animal  life,  and  animal  grati- 
fications, and  the  termination  of  earthly  existence,  are  concerned, 
where  lies  the  mighty  difference?  "That  which  bcfalleth  the  sons 
of  men,  bcfalleth  beasts;  even  one  thing  bcfalleth  them:  as  the 
one  dieth,  so  dieth  the  other;  yea,  they  have  all  one  breath;  so 
that  a  man  hath  no  pre-eminence  above  a  beast:  for  all  is  vanity. 
All  go  unto  one  place:  all  are  of  the  dust,  and  all  turn  to  dust 
again."  ]\Iany  of  the  inferior  animals  have  senses  capable  of  im- 
parting much  more  exquisite  sensations  of  pleasure  than  men :  men 
are  subject  to  a  much  greater  variety  of  diseases,  and  accidents, 
and  modes  of  suffering,  than  the  generality  of  brutes :  men  and 
beasts  breathe  together  the  same  air,  and  are  sustained  by  the 
same  general  process  of  nourishment;  and,  when  they  die,  they 
discover  the  same  latent  principle  of  corruption ;  both  alike  putri- 
fying  and  mouldering  into  dust;  the  same  in  origin,  and  the  same 
in  end.    In  such  views  as  these,  "a  man  hath  no  pre-eminence  above 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  16-22.     IV.  1-3.  103 

a  beast/'  and  the  life  of  man,  considered  simply  in  relation  to  this 
world,  is  most  emphatically  vanity, — all  vanity.  "Lord,  make 
me  to  know  mine  end,  and  the  measure  of  my  days,  that  I  may 
know  hoAV  frail  I  am.  Behold,  thou  hast  made  my  days  as  a 
hand-breadth,  and  mine  age  is  as  nothing  before  thee :  verily  every 
man,  at  his  best  estate,  is  altogether  vanity.  Selah.  Surely  every 
man  walketh  in  a  vain  show;  surely  they  arc  disquieted  in  vain: 
he  heapetli  up  riches  and  knoweth  not  Avho  shall  gather  them." 
Psalm  xxxix.  4-6.  "For  he  seeth  that  wise  men  die;  likewise 
the  fool  and  the  brutish  person  perish,  and  leave  their  wealth  to 
others.  Their  inward  thought  is,  that  their  houses  shall  continue 
for  ever,  and  their  dwelling-places  to  all  generations :  they  call 
their  lands  after  their  own  names.  Nevertheless,  man  being  in 
honor  abideth  not;  he  is  like  the  beasts  that  perish.  This  their 
way  is  their  folly ;  yet  their  posterity  approve  their  sayings.  Se- 
lah. Like  sheep  they  are  laid  in  the  grave;  death  shall  feed  on 
them;  and  the  upright  shall  have  dominion  over  them  in  the 
morning;  and  their  beauty  shall  consume  in  the  grave  from  their 
dwelling.  Man  that  is  in  honor,  and  understandeth  not,  is  like 
the  beasts  that  perish.'"'  Psalm  xlix.  10-14,  20.  In  these  passages 
from  the  Psalms,  the  same  general  sentiment  is  expressed  as  in 
the  verses  before  us;  and  in  the  latter  of  the  two,  expressed  in 
very  similar  terms. 

Between  the  latter  end,  however,  of  the  man  and  the  brute, 
there  is  one  essential  and  most  important  difference;  and  it  is 
this  diiference  which  manifests,  above  every  other  consideration, 
the  extreme  and  pitiable  folly  of  "the  sons  of  men,"  Avhen,  like 
the  beasts,  they  live  as  if  the  present  were  their  only  existence. 
This  diiference  is  expressed  in  the  twenty-first  verse  :— 

Verse  21.  Who  knoweth  the  spirit  of  man  that  goeth  upward,  and 
the  spirit  of  the  beast  that  goeth  downward  to  the  eaiih  f 

For  the  illustration  of  this  verse,  let  it  be  remarked,  that  the 
expression  "Who  knoweth?"  does  not  convey  the  idea  of  ignorance 
or  uncertainty  with  regard  to  the  future  destination  of  the  spirit  of 
man  in  distinction  from  that  of  the  brute;  for,  in  this  same  verse, 
a  diiference  is  expressly  asserted  to  subsist  between  them.  Of  the 
one  it  is  affirmed  that  it  "goeth  upward,"  and  of  the  other,  that 
it  "goeth  downward  to  the  earth."  The  deeith  of  man  and  beast 
having  been  mentioned  in  the  preceding  verse, — "all  are  of  the 


104  J.ECTURE  VI. 

dust,  and  all  turn  to  dust  again," — makes  it  sufficiently  clear,  that 
it  is  of  this  period  that  Solomon  continues  to  speak;  that  the 
phraseology  he  employs  is  not  intended  merely  to  express  the 
aspiring  nature  of  the  spirit  of  man  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
grovelling  nature  of  the  spirit  of  brutes  on  the  other;  but  the  des- 
tiny of  each  at  the  close  of  their  present  life;  the  spirit  of  man 
surviving  his  mortal  frame;  whilst  that  of  the  brutes,  instead  of  out- 
living their  bodies,  is  destined  to  perish  with  them.  The  separate 
existence  of  the  human  spirit  is  still  more  directly  affirmed  in  a 
subsequent  part  of  this  book : — "  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the 
earth  as  it  was;  and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who  gave 
it."  Chap,  xii  7.  It  would  be  out  of  place  to  enter  here  into  ab- 
struse metaphysical  speculations.  My  own  opinion  is,  (and  it 
seems,  amongst  other  grounds,  to  have  some  support  from  the 
passage  before  us,  in  which  the  same  term  is  used  for  the  spirit  of 
the  beast  and  for  the  spirit  of  man,) — that  the  immaterial  thinking 
substance  in  man  and  brute,  is,  in  its  essential  properties,  the  same ; 
that  all  created  existence,  spiritual  and  corporeal,  being  alike  de- 
pendent for  its  continuance  on  the  power  which  imparted  it,  it 
arises  intirely  from  the  will  of  the  Creator,  and  not  from  any  dif- 
ference between  spirit  and  matter,  as  if  the  former  were  in  its  own 
nature  indestructible,  that  the  soul,  or  thinking  principle,  of  man 
is  destined  to  immortality,  whilst  that  of  the  brute  terminates  its 
distinct  and  conscious  existence  when  the  spark  of  animal  life  has 
been  extinguished.  To  draw  with  precision  the  boundaries  be- 
tween the  operation  of  instinct  and  the  exercise  of  reason,  has 
many  a  time  been  attempted,  but  never  with  any  success;  and 
often,  on  this  subject,  (a  subject  in  many  respects  highly  curious 
and  interesting,)  have  men  deluded  themselves  by  words  and 
names;  ascribing  to  instinct  in  brutes,  actions  which  evidently 
possess  all  the  distinctive  attributes  of  rationality,  and  which, 
without  hesitation,  they  impute  to  reason  in  men.  Now,  as  all 
created  existence,  of  every  possible  description,  must  be  depend- 
ent,— intirely  and  unceasingly  dependent, — on  the  life-giving  God ; 
I  can  perceive  no  heresy  in  the  belief,  that  the  same  kind  of  spiritual 
essence  should  in  brutes  be  destined  to  the  cessation,  and  in  man 
to  the  continuance  of  existence;  any  more  than  in  the  belief, 
(which  we  know  to  have  the  direct  countenance  of  revelation,  and 
which  is  immediately  connected  with  the  other,)  that  the  corporeal 


ECCLESIASTES  III.   lG-22.     IV.  1-3.  105 

part  of  the  man  and  of  tlic  brute,  though  alike  doomed  to  the  dust, 
is  in  the  former  destined  to  restoration,  and  in  the  latter  to  per- 
manent corruption. 

If,  in  the  expression  "the  spirit  of  man  that  goeth  upward," 
the  separate  existence  of  the  human  soul  after  death  be,  as  I  con- 
ceive it  is,  directly  affirmed,  then  the  question, — "  Who  hiowetli 
the  spirit  of  man  that  goeth  upward,  and  the  spirit  of  the  beast 
that  goeth  downward  to  the  earth  ?"  must  not,  as  I  have  already 
noticed,  be  understood  to  imply  ignorance  or  uncertainty  on  this 
all-important  point: — and  to  suppose  no  more  to  be  meant,  than* 
that  the  difference  between  the  one  and  the  other  in  death  is  not 
discernible,  would  ])e  egregious  trifling;  the  soul  of  man  being, 
of  course,  from  its  immaterial  nature,  incapable  of  being  so  dis- 
cerned. AVhatever  may  be  the  case  with  other  orders  of  being, 
and  especially  with  spiritual  essences  that  exist  in  separation  from 
material  bodies ; — whatever  may  be,  amongst  them,  the  means  of 
perception  and  intercourse;  Ave  ourselves  belong  to  a  species  pos- 
sessing no  senses  for  the  discernment  of  spirits.  That  we  cannot 
see  the  human  spirit  quitting  the  body  and  going  upward  to  God, 
is  a  proposition  too  trifling  for  the  solemnity  of  the  question ;  and 
nothing  would  be  more  unphilosophical  than  to  found  upon  this 
consideration  any  sceptical  doubt  as  to  its  distinct  existence,  or 
the  existence  of  spirit  in  general.  It  has  been  justly  remarked, 
that  a  creature  endowed  with  four  only  of  the  senses  which  we 
posse&s,  might,  with  equal  reason,  question  the  existence  of  all 
that  we  discover  by  the  fifth. 

The  question,  then,  appears  to  be  expressive  of  a  very  lamenta- 
ble fact; — namely,  that  few,  very  few,  properly  think  of  and  con- 
sider this  essential  and  important  diflerence  between  the  human 
and  the  brute  creation;  that  the  great  majority  of  mankind  live 
and  act  as  if  they  knew  nothing  of  it,  or  attached  to  it  no  degree 
of  credit.  A  similar  style  of  question  is,  in  other  places,  used,  to 
express  the  same  idea  of  rarity,  associated  with  the  sentiments  of 
wonder  and  regret: — "Who  can  find  a  virtuous  woman?  for  her 
price  is  far  above  rubies :"  Pro  v.  xxxi.  10.  "  Who  has  believed 
our  report?  and  to  whom  has  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed?" 
Isa.  liii.  1, — and  the  word  which  is  translated  "knoweth"  is  one 
which  not  unfrequently  signifies,  to  tahe  notice  of,  or  to  regard. 
Solomon  affirms,  then,  the   diffi^rence   between  man  and  brute; 


106  LECTURE  VI. 

affirms  tha.t  the  spirit  of  the  former  at  death  "ascendeth  on  high,"* 
and  that  the  spirit  of  the  latter,  like  the  body,  "  goes  down  to  the 
earth,"  and  perishes  with  it ;  and  he  laments  the  fact,  that  by  the- 
o-reat  majority  of  the  children  of  men  the  difference  is  not  attended 
to,  and  is  intirely  without  influence.  And  this  deep  and  melan- 
choly regret  accords  with  the  desire  which  he  had  just  before  ex- 
pressed, that  God  would  show  the  sons  of  men  how  foolish  they 
were,  and  how  they  degraded  their  immortal  nature,  by  living  as 
if  the  present  life  were  their  only  existence,  and  thus  equalizing 
themselves  with  the  beasts  of  the  field.  It  was,  indeed,  matter 
of  just  lamentation,  that  such  creatures  should  not  lay  to  heart 
their  lofty  destination,  and  rise  superior  to  the  perishing  vanities-, 
and  grovelling  pursuits,  of  a  mere  earthly  and  sensual  existence. 
Verse  22, —  Wherefore  I pereeive,  that  there  is  nothing  better,  than 
that  a  man  should  rejoice  in  his  own  loorks;  for  that  is  his  portions 
for  loho  shall  bring  him  to  see  lohat  shall  be  after  him  f — 
may  be  understood  in  two  ways. 

First.  It  may  be  considered  as  a  repetition  of  the  same  senti- 
ment which  he  had  more  than  once  expressed  before,  respecting- 
the  grateful  reception  and  cheerful  enjoyment  of  the  bounties  of 
Providence.  Chap.  ii.  24.  iii.  12, 13.  In  this  case,  the  verse  must 
be  connected  with  the  vanity  of  human  life,  considered  by  itself,, 
independently  of  the  life  to  come,  as  having,  in  so  many  respects,, 
no  pre-eminence  above  that  of  the  beasts.  In  these  circumstances, 
the  best  thing  for  a  man  to  do  Avith  the  possessions  of  this  .world 
is,  cheerfully  to  enjoy  them,  while  his  vain  and  fleeting  life  en- 
dures, as  the  portion  given  him  by  the  kindness  of  heaven ;  re- 
membering, that  when  he  returns  to  the  dust,  his  connection  with, 
earthly  things  shall  for  ever  terminate,  and  that  "  what  shall  be 
after  him"  will  be  to  him  no  matter  of  concern,  when  he  has 
finally  retired  from  the  scene.  "  Thou  prevailest  for  ever  against 
him,  and  he  passeth;  thou  changest  his  countenance  and  sendest 
him  away.  His  sons  come  to  honor,  and  he  knoweth  it  not;  and 
they  are  brought  low,  but  he  perceiveth  it  not  of  them."  Job  xiv, 
20,  21.  • 

But,  Secondly,  the  words  are  capable  of  a  more  elevated  sense- 
Solomon  had  been  speaking  of  the  vexation  arising  to  the  mind 
from  the  wickedness  of  others,  and  had  been  looking  forward  to 
a  coming  judgment,  when  just  and  unjust  shall  give  their  account 


e(x:lesiastes  hi.  16-22.    iv.  1-3.  107 

to  God;  and  to  death,  as  the  time  when  the  "spirit  of  man  goeth 
upward"  "to  God  who  gave  it."  May  Ave  not,  then,  consider  him 
as  expressing  what  ought  to  be  the  serious  and  constant  aim  of 
mankind, — what  every  man  should  set  his  heart  upon,  as  his 
highest  attainment; — namely,  that,  in  life  and  in  death,  he  may 
have  reason  to  "rejoice  in  his  own  works,"  however  much  he  may 
be  grieved  and  distressed  by  those  of  others ;  that  he  may  have 
this  as  a  portion  of  happiness,  which  none  shall  be  able  to  alienate 
from  him, — of  inward  enjoyment,  of  which  he  shall  never  be  robbed. 
Let  him  see  to  it,  that,  with  solemn  anticipation  of  what  is  before 
him ;  with  the  most  conscientious  integrity  of  desire  to  know  and 
to  do  God's  will;  and  with  the  most  wakeful  and  solicitous  cir- 
cumspection in  all  his  ways ;  he  retain  the  possession  of  this  por- 
tion : — and,  as  to  the  concern  which  he  feels  about  the  wickedness 
and  oppression  of  others,  the  guilt  of  the  oppressor  and  the  misery 
of  the  oppressed, — "who  shall  bring  him  to  see  what  shall  be  after 
him?"  The  scene  shall  soon  be  removed  from  before  his  eyes; 
or  rather,  he  shall  be  removed  from  it; — and  when  he  takes  his 
departure  out  of  the  world,  he  shall  witness  it  no  more.  In  this 
view  of  the  words,  they  will  beautifully  correspond  with  the  senti- 
ments and  admonitions  of  the  New  Testament  writers : — "  Our  re- 
joicing is  this,  the  testimony  of  our  conscience,  that  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  not  with  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the  grace  of 
God,  we  have  had  our  conversation  in  the  world:" — "Let  every 
man  prove  his  own  work;  and  then  shall  he  have  rejoicing  in 
himself  alone,  and  not  in  another.  For  every  man  shall  bear  his 
own  burden."  2  Cor.  i.  12.  Gal.  vi.  4,  5.  And  the  duty  implied, 
and  which  is  thus  connected  with  a  man's  true  interest,  will  be 
that  Avhich  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  so  finely  expresses,  in  his 
vindication  of  himself  before  Felix:  "Herein  do  I  exercise  my- 
self, to  have  always  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God,  and 
toward  men."  Acts  xxiv.  16.  Let  a  man  thus  "study  to  approve 
himself  unto  God,"  as  one  of  his  true  and  faithful  servants; — let 
him  not  "practise  wicked  deeds  with  them  that  do  iniquity,"  or 
"have  any  fellowship  with  the  unfruitful  works  of  darkness;" — 
let  him  walk  with  God,  in  faith  and  holy  obedience; — let  him  be 
found  amongst  the  righteous, — the  fearers  of  the  Lord: — and  let 
him  rest  assured  that  He  will,  in  the  end,  make  a  marked  and 
permanent  distinction  between  his  subjects  and  his  enemies.     "A 


108  LECTURE  VI. 

Book  of  ]^cmeral)rance  is  written  before  him,  for  them  who  fear 
liim  and  think  upon  his  name :  and  they  shall  be  mine,  saith  the 
Lord,  in  that  day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels;  and  I  will  spare 
them,  as  a  man  spareth  his  own  son  that  serveth  him.  Then  shall 
ye  return,  and  discern  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  be- 
tween him  that  serveth  God,  and  him  that  serveth  him  not."  Mai. 
iii.  16-18.  "The  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judgment,  nor 
sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous :  for  the  Lord  knoweth 
the  way  of  the  righteous ;  but  the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish." 
Psalm  i.  5,  6. 

In  addition  to  this  solemn  practical  consideration,  let  us  ob- 
serve, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  the  ground  which  this  passage  suggests  to 
us  for  rejoicing  that  "the  Lord  reigneth."  We  cannot,  unless  we 
be  dead  to  all  the  virtuous  sensibilities  of  the  heart,  survey  the 
oppression  and  profligacy  of  men  without  deep  and  painful  emo- 
tion. Injustice  and  tyranny  are  sometimes,  in  the  righteous  se- 
verity of  God,  permitted  to  afflict  men  on  a  very  extensive  scale ; 
many  nations  being  troubled  by  the  arbitrary  and  ruthless  des- 
potism of  one  man;  the  example  spreading  downwards  from  the 
sovereign,  through  all  the  gradations,  to  the  meanest  of  petty 
place-men;  and,  instead  of  the  "officers  being  peace  and  the  exac- 
tors righteousness,"  the  officers  ruling  with  the  haughty  rigor  of 
"a  little  brief  authority,"  and  the  exactors  extorting  unrighteous 
requisitions,  and  "grinding  the  faces  of  the  poor:"  the  hands  of  the 
administrators  of  justice  being  polluted  with  bribes;  and  "when 
we  look  for  judgment,  behold  oppression,  and  for  righteousness, 
behold  a  cry."  But,  in  the  midst  of  all  these  perplexing  irregu- 
larities, let  us  not  fancy  that  the  Sovereign  of  the  universe  has 
forsaken  our  world,  and  regards  not  the  doings  and  the  sufferings 
of  the  sons  of  men.  "Verily  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the 
earth."  All  the  passions  of  the  human  heart,  in  all  their  corrup- 
tion and  violence,  in  all  the  wildness  of  their  most  tumultuary 
movements,  are  intirely  under  his  control.  He  makes  "the  wrath 
of  man  to  praise  him,  and  the  remainder  of  wrath  he  restrains." 
The  unprincipled  and  blood-thirsty  tyrant  is  made  "  the  rod  of 
his  indignation," — the  instrument  in  his  hand  of  correcting  the 
nations;  and,  when  the  ends  of  his  moral  administration  have  been 
answered,  the  oppressor  himself  becomes,  in  his  turn,  the  subject 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  16-22.     IV.  1-3.  109 

of  his  retributive  inflictions.  "When  the  Lord  hath  performed 
his  whole  work  upon  mount  Zion,  and  on  Jerusalem,  he  punishes 
the  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  the  glory 
of  his  high  looks."  Isa.  x.  12.  When  "the  wine-cup  of  God's 
fury"  has  been  handed  round  among  all  the  nations,  "the  king  of 
Sheshach"  must  "drink  after  them."  Jer.  xxv.  15-26.  And  if 
the  lawless  oppressor  should  go  on  in  triumph,  even  to  the  close 
of  his  mad  career,  still  "  he  shall  not  go  unpunished :" — still  there 
is  a  judgment  to  come: — still  "in  the  hand  of  the  Lord  there  is 
a  cup,  and  the  wine  is  red ;  it  is  full  of  mixture ;  and  the  dregs 
thereof,  all  the  wicked  of  the  earth  shall  wring  them  out  and  drink 
them."  It  is  our  great  comfort  to  be  assured,  that  "men  are  in 
his  hand."  If  any  of  his  own  people  are  left  to  "  suffer  for  righte- 
ousness' sake,"  "  let  them  not  be  afraid,  but  let  them  glorify  God 
on  this  behalf."  O  how  often,  in  the  history  of  the  church,  have 
the  disciples  of  Jesus  been  "oppressed,  and  drawn  before  the 
judgment-seats;"  and  when  they  have  "beheld  the  place  of  judg- 
ment, wickedness  has  been  there ;  and  the  place  of  righteousness, 
iniquity  has  been  there."  Should  any  of  you  ever  be  called,  for 
the  name's  sake  of  Jesus,  to  "suffer  wrongfully"  either  by  public 
or  private  malice,  your  Master  has  set  before  you  both  your  conso- 
lation and  your  duty.  " Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  revile 
you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against 
you  falsely,  for  my  sake.  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad;  for 
great  is  your  reward  in  heaven:" — "But  I  say  unto  you.  Love 
your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  you,  and  perse- 
cute you :  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven :  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust."  Matt.  v.  11,  12, 
44,  45.  And  let  all  be  assured,  that,  as  for  all  those  who  by  the 
unrighteous  decisions,  and  acts,  and  combinations,  of  arbitrary 
power  and  proud  malignity,  oppose  the  cause  and  kingdom  of  "the 
just  One,"  their  doom  is  written.  "The  kings  of  the  earth  set 
themselves,  and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together,  against  the  Lord, 
and  against  his  Anointed,  saying.  Let  us  break  their  bands  asun- 
der, and  cast  'away  their  cords  from  us.  He  that  sitteth  in  the 
heavens  shall  laugh :  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision.  Then 
shall  he  speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath,  and  vex  them  in  his  hot 


110  LECTURE  VI. 

displeasure."  "Be  wise  now,  therefore,  O  ye  kings;  be  instructed, 
ye  judges  of  the  earth:  serve  the  Lord  M^th  fear,  and  rejoice  with 
trembling.  Embrace  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye  perish 
from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed 
are  all  they  that  put  their  trust  in  him."  Psalm  ii.  2-5,  10-12. 

2.  In  the  second  place.  Let  this  passage  repress  all  emotions 
of  envy  towards  the  prosperous  in  oppression  and  wickedness. 
From  part  of  a  former  chapter,  we  had  occasion  to  notice  how 
little  ground  the  poor  have  to  envy  the  large  possessions  and 
multiplied  pleasures  of  worldly  men, — because  of  the  instability 
of  the  enjoyment  derived  from  them,  its  mingled  nature,  and  its 
constant  tendency  to  pall  upon  the  appetite,  and  to  produce  satiety 
and  disgust.  At  present,  our  remark  is  rather  founded  on  the 
cho.ractef)'  of  the  men  brought  before  us  in  the  verses  we  have  been 
considering.  AVhen  we  anticipate  the  "great  and  dreadful  day  of 
tlie  Lord,"  the  day  of  final  reckoning  and  eternal  decision,  when 
"'God  shall  judge  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,"  little  cause  truly 
have  we  for  envying  or  for  wishing  to  follow  such  men.  Abhor- 
rence of  their  ways,  heartfelt  pity  for  their  persons,  and  an  earnest 
desire  to  "save  their  souls  from  death,  and  to  cover  the  multitude 
of  their  sins,"  are  the  feelings  with  which  the  sight  and  the 
thought  of  them  should  penetrate  our  bosoms.  "  Envy  thou  not 
the  oppressor,  and  choose  none  of  his  ways :  for  the  fro  ward  is  abom- 
ination to  the  Lord;  but  his  secret  is  with  the  righteous."  "Fret 
not  thyself  because  of  evil-doers,  neither  be  thou  envious  against 
the  workers  of  iniquity :  for  they  shall  soon  be  cut  down  like  the 
grass,  and  wither  as  the  green  herb.  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do 
good ;  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and  verily  thou  shalt  be 
fed.  Delight  thyself  also  in  the  Lord;  and  he  shall  give  thee 
the  desires  of  thine  heart.  Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord;  trust 
also  in  him,  and  he  shall  bring  it  to  pass ;  and  he  shall  bring  forth 
thy  righteousness  as  the  light,  and  thy  judgment  as  the  noon-day. 
Rest  in  the  Lord,  and  wait  patiently  for  him :  fret  not  thyself 
because  of  him  who  prospereth  in  his  way,  because  of  the  man 
who  bringeth  wicked  devices  to  pass.  Cease  from  anger,  and 
forsake  wrath:  fret  not  thyself  in  any  wise  to  do  evil.  For  evil- 
doers shall  be  cut  oif :  but  those  that  wait  upon  the  Lord,  they 
shall  inherit  the  earth.  For  yet  a  little  while,  and  the  wicked 
shall  not  be:  yea,  thou  shalt  diligently  consider  his  place,  and  it 


ECCLESIASTES  III.  16-22.  IV.  1-3.  Ill 

•■shall  not  be.  But  the  meek  shall'  inherit  the  earth;  and  shall 
delight  themselves  in  the  abundance  of  peace."  Psal.  xxxvii.  1-11. 
The  Psalmist  Asaph  admitted  envy  of  the  wicked  into  his  heart, 
and  was  tempted  by  the  sight  of  their  prosperity  to  "deny  the 
God  that  is  above."  He  was  brought  to  the  very  verge  of  atheism. 
After  his  recovery,  he  describes  their  character,  the  inward  work- 
ings of  the  temptation,  and  tl^e  manner  in  which  the  spell  was 
broken  and  his  soul  set  at  liberty,  and  enabled  to  resume  its  con- 
fidence and  joy  in  the  Lord.  "When  I  thought  to  know  this,  it 
was  too  painful  for  me,  until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary  of  God: 
then  understood  I  their  end.  Surely  thou  didst  set  them  in  slip- 
pery places:  thou  castedst  them  down  into  destruction.  How  are 
they  brought  into  desolation  as  in  a  moment!  they  are  utterly 
^consumed  with  terrors.  As  a  dream  when  one  awaketh;  so,  O  Lord, 
when  thou  awakest,  thou  shalt  despise  their  image.  Thus  my 
lieart  was  grieved,  and  I  was  pricked  in  my  reins.  So  foolish 
was  I,  and  ignorant:  I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee.  Nevertheless 
I  am  continually  with  thee;  Thou  hast  holden  me  by  my  right 
hand.  Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  thy  counsel,  and  afterward  re- 
iceive  me  to  glory.  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee?  and  there 
is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee.  My  flesh  and  my 
heart  faileth :  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion 
for  ever."  Psalm  Ixxiii.  16-26. 

Lastly.  Let  "the  man  of  the  earth"  consider  the  folly  with 
which  he  is  chargeable,  in  forgetting  his  immortality,  and  living 
as  if  he  had  no  connection  with  any  world  but  this,  and  no  pros- 
pect of  any  existence  beyond  his  residence  in  it.  O  remember, 
that  "your  days  on  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and  that  there  is  no 
abiding;"  that  when  you  die,  you  are  not  to  sink  into  annihilation; 
jour  spirit  is  not,  like  that  of  the  brutes,  to  "go  downward  to  the 
earth,"  but  must  "go  upward," — upward  to  God, — "to  God,  who 
^ave  it."  Live  no  longer,  then,  like  the  beasts  that  perish.  Rise 
to  a  sense  of  your  dignity  as  immortal  beings.  Take  into  your 
estimate  of  happiness  the  whole  extent  of  your  existence.  The 
chief  good  of  a  rational  and  immortal  creature  must  be  something- 
worthy  of  his  rational  nature,  and  in  duration  commensurate  with 
«ternity.  Let  your  inquiry  be,  how  an  eternity  of  existence  may 
be  to  you  an  eternity  of  enjoyment?  To  answer  this  inquiry  is 
the  grand  design  of  revelation.     "The  way  of  salvation"  is  there 


112  LECTURE  VI. 

set  before  you;— the  way  to  eternal  life;— the  path  to  "glory,  and 
honor,  and  immortality."  Jesus  is  revealed  as  the  Son  of  God,, 
the  Divine  Redeemer,  the  Hope  of  sinners.  Believe  in  Him  ;  live 
to  Him.  Thus  shall  you  possess  true  honor,  and  true  felicity. 
When  your  mortal  frame  shall  descend  to  the  dust,  your  spirit, 
commended  into  the  hands  of  God  your  Saviour,  shall  rise  to  the 
perfection  of  purity  and  bliss.  "Absent  from  the  body,  you  shall 
be  present  with  the  Lord;"  and  "your  flesh  also,"  though  doomed 
to  temporary  corruption,  "shall  rest  in  hope."  Man  and  beast  go 
to  one  place;  returning  to  the  common  womb  of  Earth.  But  the 
former  are  not  lost.  The  common  parent  shall  travail  again. 
''  The  Earth  shall  cast  forth  her  dead."  They  that  "  dwell  in  the 
dust,"  who  have  lived  and  died  to  the  Lord,  "  shall  awake  and 
sing:" — "Lo  this  is  our  God;  we  have  waited  for  him,  and  he 
will  save  us :  this  is  the  Lord ;  we  have  waited  for  him ;  we  will 
be  glad  and  rejoice  in  his  salvation."  "  This  corruptible  shall  then 
put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  immortality;  and  the  saying 
that  is  written  shall  be  brought  to  pass.  Death  is  swallowed  up  in 
victory !"  Again,  then,  I  say,  live  no  longer  like  the  beasts  that 
perish.  Anticipate  what  is  before  you,  and  thankfully  avail  your- 
selves of  the  mercy  of  the  gospel.  "Behold,  now  is  the  accepted 
time ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation."  "  This  is  life  eternal^, 
to  know  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  hath  sent.'" 


LECTURE  VII 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-16. 

''Again,  I  considered  all  travail,  and  every  right  work,  that  for  this  a  man 
is  envied  of  his  neighbor.  This  (is)  also  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  5. 
The  fool  foldeth  his  hands  together,  and  eateth  his  own  flesh.  6.  Better 
(is)  a  handful  (with)  quietness,  than  both  the  hands  full  (with)  travail 
and  vexation  of  spirit.  7.  Then  I  returned,  and  I  saw  vanity  under  the 
sun.  8.  There  is  one  (alone,)  and  (thei'e  is)  not  a  second;  yea,  he  hath 
neither  child  nor  brother:  yet  (is  there)  no  end  of  all  his  labor;  neither  is 
his  eye  satisfied  with  riches;  neither  (saith  he)  For  whom  do  I  labor,  and 
bereave  my  soul  of  good?  This  (is)  also  vanity,  yea,  it  (is)  a  sore  travail. 
1'.  Two  (are)  better  than  one;  because  they  have  a  good  reward  for  their 
labor.  10.  For  if  they  fidl,  the  one  will  lift  up  his  fellow:  but  woe  to  him 
(that  is)  alone  when  he  falleth;  for  (he  hath)  not  another  to  help  him  up. 
11.  Again,  if  two  lie  together,  then  they  have  heat:  but  how  can  one  be 
warm  (alone)?.  12.  And  if  one  prevail  against  him,  two  shall  withstand 
him;  and  a  three-fold  cord  is  not  quickly  broken.  13.  Better  (is)  a  pooi- 
and  a  wise  child  than  an  old  and  foolish  king,  who  will  no  more  be  admon^ 
ished.  14.  For  out  of  prison  he  cometh  to  reign;  Avhereas  also  (he  that 
is)  born  in  his  kingdom  becometh  poor.  15.  I  considered  all  the  living 
which  walk  under  the  sun,  with  the  second  child  that  shall  stand  up  in  his 
stead.  IG.  (There  is)  no  end  of  all  the  people,  (even)  of  all  that  have  been 
l)efore  them :  they  also  that  come  after  shall  not  rejoice  in  him.  Surely 
this  also  (is)  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

Havixg  recorded  what,  in  lii.s  survey  of  the  workl,  he  liad  ^vit- 
iiessed,  of  tlie  odious  character  of  the  oppressors  of  mankind,  the 
miseries  endured  by  the  poor  and  unbefriended  victims  of  their 
prostituted  power,  and  the  distress  of  every  generous  spirit  in 
being  a.  spectator  of  such  scenes ;  Solomon  next  proceeds  to  notice 
those  sources  of  disquietude  which  are  peculiar  to  henefactors. 
For  even  they,  in  the  midst  of  their  disinterested  labors  for  the 
good  of  others,  and  of  the  general  esteem  of  society  thence  arising, 
are  not  without  their  springs  of  bitterness. 
8 


114  LECTURE  VII. 

Verse  4-  Again,  I  considered  all  travail,  and  every  right  icorh; 
that  for  this  a  man  is  envied  of  his  neighbor.  This  is  also  vanity, 
and  vexation  of  spirit. 

It  is  true,  that  a  good  man,  who  lays  himself  out  for  the  benefit 
of  others,  expending  his  labor,  and  sacrificing  his  personal  interest, 
to  advance  the  happiness  of  mankind,  will  meet  with  general  af- 
fection and  regard;  so  that  for  such  a  character,  on  his  own  ac- 
count and  on  society's,  from  personal  esteem  and  public  spirit,  some 
might  be  found  willing  even  to  risk  and  to  forfeit  life  itself: — 
"Scarcely  for  a  righteous  man  will  one  die;  yet  perad venture  for 
a  good  man  some  would  even  dare  to  die."  Kom.  v.  7.  But  let 
a  man  in  eminent  station  act  ever  so  constantly  from  the  purest 
principles  of  generosity  or  of  patriotism ;  he  must  not  expect  to 
escape  the  envy  of  malignant,  or  the  jealousy  of  rival,  spirits;  the 
latter  seeking  to  supplant  him  and  to  rise  upon  his  ruins, — the 
former,  like  Milton's  Satan, 

"Eying  him  askance  with  jealous  leer  malign," 

repining  at  his  very  excellencies,  sickening  at  the  sound  of  his 
praises,  and  gnawing  their  lips  at  his  rising  fame.  Many,  many 
a  time,  has  Envy,  by  its  open  hostility,  and  still  more  successfully 
by  its  secret  arts  of  detraction  and  calumny,  by  whispered  insin- 
uations and  hypocritical  regrets,  by  misrepresentation  of  motives 
and  exaggeration  of  failures,  blasted  the  reputation,  and  ruined 
^he  prosperity,  of  the  most  excellent  and  justly  eminent  characters. 
It  is  a  principle  of  action  in  our  fallen  nature,  proverbially  subtle, 
and  proverbially  indefatigable  in  its  devices  and  efforts  to  accom- 
plish the  degradation  of  its  unfortunate  victim ;  and  it  is  also, 
alas !  proverbially  successful.  "  Wrath  is  cruel,  and  anger  is  outra- 
geous ;  but  who  is  able  to  stand  before  envy  ?"  Wrath  and  anger, 
although  unmerciful  and  violent,  yet  arc  usually  open  and  transient. 
But  Envy  "  mines  unseen ;"  pursues,  with  unwearied  activity,  its 
underground  machinations,  and  unites  so  much  artfulness  with  so 
much  perseverence,  that — "who  is  able  to  stand  before  it?"  The 
dreadful  effects  of  this  malignant  passion  are  variously  exe«nplified 
in  the  records  of  sacred  history.  It  was  envy  that  murdered 
"righteous  Abel,"  and  stained  the  ground  with  the  first  effusion 
of  human  blood.  It  was  envy  that  extinguished  the  feelings  of 
natural  affection  in  the  l)reasts  of  Joseph's  brethren,  when  they 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-16.  115 

cast  their  brother  into  the  pit,  and  "  sat  down  to  eat  bread ;"  M^hen 
they  sold  him  for  twenty  silverlings,  and,  silencing  the  inward  re- 
monstrances of  filial  duty,  with  perfidious  and  relentless  barbarity, 
'•pierced  with  many  sorrows"  the  heart  of  their  aged  and  venera- 
ble parent,  by  presenting  to  his  distracted  sight  the  bloody  vest- 
ment of  his  favou  rite  boy.  It  was  envy  that  instigated  and  ani- 
mated the  persec  ution  of  Saul  against  the  unoffending  son  of  Jesse, 
whose  stone  and  sling  had  saved  "the  armies  of  the  living  God," 
and  whom  the  virgins  of  Israel  had  placed  above  the  monarch  in 
their  songs  of  triumph  over  the  vanquished  host  of  the  Philistines. 
It  was  envy,  in  the  bosoms  of  the  priests  and  rulers  of  the  Jews, 
that  "  denied  the  prince  of  life,"  and  clamored  for  the  crucifixion 
of  Him  who  was  "holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate  from 
sinners."  In  dependently  of  the  success  of  the  devices  of  envy, 
whether  its  end  is  gained  or  not  to  the  extent  of  its  malignant 
wishes,  it  is  in  a  high  degree  painful  to  the  spirit  of  a  good  man 
to  be  the  object  of  so  detestable  a  passion,  or  the  means  of  its  ex- 
citement in  the  bosoms  of  others.  If  he  suspects  its  existence  and 
operation,  he  must  be  subject  to  incessant  apprehension;  and  if 
not,  his  fall  may  come  upon  him  by  surprise, — ere  he  is  aware  that 
the  mine  has  been  formed,  and  the  train  laid,  it  may  explode  at 
once,  to  his  inevitable  and  irretrievable  ruin.  Thus,  while  envy 
is  "the  rottenness  of  the  bones"  to  the  man  who  indulges  it  in  his 
own  breast,  it  is  the  most  dangerous  enemy  to  which  the  object  of 
it  can  be  exposed.  It  has  been  finely  said  of  charity,  that  it  is 
"doubly  blessed; — it  blesses  him  that  gives,  and  him  that  takes." 
Envy  is  doubly  cursed; — the  subject  and  the  object  of  it  it  curses 
alike.  Like  the  star  called  Wormwood,  that  imbittered  all  the 
rivers  and  fountains  of  water  on  which  it  fell,  it  poisons  and  be- 
reaves of  their  sweetness  all  the  sources  and  streams  of  human  en- 
joyment. 

Amongst  the  objects  of  envy  are  to  be  included,  not  only  such 
l)enevolent  and  patriotic  characters  as  have  been  mentioned,  but 
all  who  are  fiivored  with  an}'  unusual  measure  of  temporal  pros- 
perity; who  labor  with  diligence,  and  are  crowned  with  success; 
even  although  nothing  can  with  truth  be  laid  to  their  charge  in- 
consistent with  the  most  unsullied  integrity.  Envy  is  little  mind- 
ful of  truth.  Its  malignant  breath  can  sully  the  fairest  fame.  It 
hates  its  rival's  success,  and  it  grudges  the  very  reputation  for 


IX (3  LECTURE  VII. 

purity  of  principle  with  which  that  success  is  accompanied.  ''I 
considered  all  travail,  and  every  right  work,  that  for  this  a  man  -is 
envied  of  his  neighbor." 

Perceiving  this  to  be  the  case;  observingthe  jealousy  which  at- 
tends all  descriptions  of  eminence;  the  envy  consequent  on  suc- 
cessful exertions,  and  on  rising  prosperity  and  honor ;  the  spirit 
of  detraction  that  is  drawn  forth  even  by  the  toils  and  sacrifices 
of  disinterested  benevolence ;  and  the  unworthy  recompense  of  a 
life  devoted  to  the  public  good ;  some  are  tempted,  on  these  and 
similar  grounds,  to  excuse  and  to  indulge  their  natural  pro])ensity 
to  indolence  and  inactivity.  But  this  is  foolish.  All  indolence, 
on  whatever  principles  men  may  apologize  for  it,  is  folly : — 

Verse  5.  The  fool  foldeth  his  hands  together  and  eateth  his  own 
flesh. 

This  may  be  understood,  as  I  have  hinted  in  introducing  the 
verse,  as  the  picture  of  a  sluggard,  reducing  himself  to  starvation 
and  pining  wretchedness,  eating  the  very  flesh  off  his  bones  rather 
than  put  his  hand  to  labour.  "Yet  a  little  sleep,  a  little  slum- 
ber, a  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  sleep !  So  shall  thy  poverty 
come  as  one  that  travelleth,  and  thy  want  as  an  armed  man." 
Prov.  vi.  10,  11.  "The  soul  of  the  sluggard  desireth,  and  hath 
nothing."  "The  sluggard  will  not  plow  by  reason  of  the  cold; 
therefore  shall  he  beg  in  harvest  and  have  nothing."  Let  no  one, 
then,  from  the  observation  that  "for  all  travail  and  every  right 
work  a  man  is  envied  of  his  neighbor,"  draw  the  hasty  and  un- 
wise inference,  that  it  is  better  to  do  nothing:  for,  he  who  "folds 
his  hands  together,"  and  by  his  idleness  reduces  himself  to  "eat- 
ing his  own  flesh,"  acts  the  part  of  a  fool;— shows  himself  in- 
capable of  all  right  discrimination. 

If  the  sixth  verse  be  connected  with  this, — 
Verse  6.  Better  is  a  hanelful  icith  quietness,  than  Loth  the  hands 
full  with  travail  and  vexedion  of  spirit, — 

it  may  be  interpreted  as  the  language  of  the  sluggard,  affecting 
wisdom,  and  vindicating  his  conduct  by  a  maxim  of  prudential 
consideration: — for  of  the  sluggard  it  is  elsewhere  said,  he  is 
"wiser  in  his  own  conceit,  than  seven  men  that  can  render  a 
reason."  He  may  here  be  understood  to  say : — Let  others,  like 
fools,  vainly  toil,  and  harass,  and  vex  themselves,  if  they  will : — 
my  maxim   is,  and  wiser  men  than  I  have  held  it,  "Better  is  a 


ECCLESIASTE3  IV.  4-16.  117 

handful  with  quietness,  than  both  the  hands  full  with  travail  and 
vexation  of  spirit."  The  sentiment,  properly  understood  and  ap- 
plied, is  just.  It  occurs  more  than  once  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs : — 
"Better  is  a  little  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  than  great  treasure 
and  trouble  therewith.  Better  is  a  dinner  of  herbs  where  love 
is,  than  a  stalled  ox  and  hatred  therewith."  "Better  is  a  dry 
morsel  and  quietness  therewith,  than  a  house  full  of  sacrifices  with 
strife."  Prov.  xv.  16,  17.  xvii.  1.  But  it  is  a  sentiment  far  from 
being  applicable  to  the  indolent  and  useless  fool,  who  "  folds  his 
hands  together,  and  eats  his  own  flesh ;"  although  such  a  fool  may 
gravely  cloak  his  folly  under  the  misinterpreted  sayings  of  wisdom. 
It  relates  to  the  man  of  moderate  and  chastened  desires ;  the  man 
of  "godliness  with  contentment:"  who,  instead  of  "hasting  to  be 
rich,"  recollects,  amidst  his  diligence  in  business,  that  "a  man's 
life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  pos- 
sesseth;"  who  prefers  peace  and  quietness,  and  domestic  comfort, 
even  with  comparatively  slender  means,  to  superfluous  exuberance, 
with  bustle  and  strife. 

If,  0]i  the  other  hand,  this  sixth  verse  be  connected  with  what 
follows,  it  will  stand  as  the  sentiment  of  Solomon  himself,  the 
sentiment  of  practical  wisdom,  opposed  to  the  absurd  conduct  and 
self-inflicted  misery  of  the  friendless  and  solitary  miser,  who.  Math 
"both  the  hands  full,"  has  nothing  but  "travail  and  vexation  of 
spirit." 

But  there  is  still  another  interpretation  which  may  be  given  to 
the  fifth  verse,  which  I  mention  rather  for  consideration  than  with 
confidence.  May  it  not  be  designed  to  express  the  wretchedness 
of  the  man  who  indulges  envyf  Observe  the  connection  in  which 
it  stands.  In  the  fourth  verse,  we  have  the  evil  to  which  even 
the  man  of  benevolence  and  rectitude  may  be  exposed  from  his 
becoming  the  object  of  envy.  May  not  the  fifth  verse,  then,  be 
understood  of  the  misery  arising  from  this  malignant  passion  to 
him  who  is  the  subject  of  it?  "The  fool," — the  envious  fool — 
"foldeth  his  hands  together,  and  eateth  his  own  flesh."  The 
malignant  temper  preys  upon  him,  and  engrosses  his  thoughts: — 
sleeping  and  waking,  it  haunts  him: — he  is  disinclined  from  la- 
bor:— he  "folds  his  hands  together"  in  the  attitude  of  fretful  and 
malignant  musing ;  racking  his  invention  for  means  to  accomplish 
the  odious  purposes  of  his  heart.     But  he  is  inwardly  wretched : — 


118  LECTURE  VII. 

he  "  eats  his  own  flesh "  with  vexation  of  spirit : — he  pines  and 
wastes  away  in  sullen  jealousy.  He  may  succeed  in  effecting  the 
downfall  and  ruin  of  his  rival;  but  he  is  himself  a  miserable  fool. 

Verses  7,  8.  Then  I  returned,  and  I  saw  vanity  under  the  sun. 
There  is  one  alone  and  there  is  not  a  second;  yea,  he  hath  neither 
child  nor  brother;  yet  is  there  no  end  of  all  his  labor;  neither  is  his 
eye  satisfied  with  riches;  neither  saith  he.  For  whom  do  Ilabor  and 
bereave  my  soul  of  good?  This  is  also  vanity;  yea,  it  is  a  sore  tra- 
vail. 

This  is  a  strikingly  graphical,  though  brief  description,  of  the 
avaricious  keenness  and  carefulness  of  a  toiling,  griping,  hoarding, 
insulated  miser.  "  There  is  one  alone,  and  there  is  not  a  second  " — 
no  heir  apparent,  no  connection,  either  by  blood  or  by  particular 
friendship,  to  succeed  him ;  "  neither  child  nor  brother,"  (that  is, 
no  near  relative,)  to  inherit  his  accumulated  treasures; — "yet  is 
there  no  end  of  all  his  labor;"  he  toils  with  unintermitting  so- 
licitude, "rising  early  and  sitting  late,"  nor  ever  can  bear  the 
thought  of  retiring  from  active  business,  as  long  as  he  can  add  a 
single  penny  by  it  to  his  store: — "neither  is  his  eye  satisfied  with 
riches;"  constantly  either  contemplating  his  acquisitions,  or  on 
the  eager  look-out  for  more;  never  saying.  It  is  enough;  a  greedy 
receiver,  but  a  reluctant  and  parsimonious  giver.  He  takes  no 
enjoyment  of  his  wealth;  but  starves  in  the  midst  of  abundance; 
not  only  "laboring,"  but  "bereaving  his  soul  of  good;"  living 
with  the  most  pitiful  penuriousness ;  grudging  himself  every  mor- 
sel of  meat,  every  rag  of  clothing,  every  common  comfort  of  life. 
And  the  habit  grows  upon  him ;  he  becomes  increasingly  avarici- 
ous as  he  advances  in  wealth  and  in  years ;  no  unselfish  considera- 
tion can  move  him,  nor  any  claim  of  charity  touch  his  soul ;  his 
hollow  eye  contracts  the  timid  glance  of  lurking  suspicion;  his 
whole  countenance  the  marked  and  settled  expression  of  anxiety 
and  unfeeling  narrowness ;  and  his  wasted  frame,  his  antique  and 
thread-bare  clothing,  and  every  part  of  his  appearance,  betrays 
the  confirmed  and  unimpressible  miser.  Those  who  first  assigned 
this  designation  to  the  character  were  happy  in  their  selection. 
3Eser  signifies  wretched;  and  surely  there  is  not  on  earth  a  more 
pitiable  object  than  the  man  here  described;  the  unhappy  victim 
of  one  of  tlie  strangest  aberrations  of  understanding;  one  of  the 
most  unaccountable  contradictions  to  all  right  feeling,  and  to  every 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-16.  119 

ordinary  principle  of  Inimun  nature,  that  is  to  be  found  amongst 
the  intellectual  and  moral  varieties  of  the  species. 

Solomon's  description  shows  us  that  these  varieties  have,  in  every 
age,  been  much  the  same.  Many  a  time  has  it  since  been  realized, 
with  wonderful  accuracy.  The  character  may  be  traced  to  various 
origins.  In  some  instances,  it  has  arisen  from  a  fatal  error  in 
education, — from  early  and  ill-judged  lesson'?  of  excessive  parsi- 
mony impressed  upon  the  youthful  mind,  gradually  forming  in 
the  heart  an  undue  "love  of  money;"  a  habitual  desire  of  getting, 
and  dread  of  losing,  or  of  being  necessitated  to  give  away: — in 
other  cases,  from  the  apprehension  and  presentiment  of  a  diseased 
mind, — a  hypochondriacal  foreboding  of  approaching  poverty — of 
dying  in  want;  au  evil,  to  which  every  penny  that  is  lost  or  parted 
with  is,  of  course,  conceived  by  the  disordered  imagination  to  con- 
tribute:— and  in  others  still,  from  the  weak-minded  vanity  of 
being  noticed  and  spoken  of,  during  life,  and  after  death,  as  the 
possessor  of  so  much  wealth,  or  as  the  man  that  had  left  it  behind 
him.  From  whatever  source  it  may  have  arisen,  and  whatever 
may  have  promoted  its  growth,  it  is  w^ell  denominated  "vanity 
and  a  so)-e  travailJ^  The  poor  rich  fool  lives  in  misery,  and  dies 
uulamented.  Those,  whosoever  they  may  be,  to  whom  he  be- 
queaths his  wealth,  give  him  little  thanks  for  it.  He  has  only 
given  it  when  he  could  hold  it  no  longer.  He  has  not  parted 
with  it;  he  has- been  obliged  to  leave  it;  and  not  one  farthing  of 
it,  they  know^  well,  should  they  ever  have  touched,  could  he  by 
any  possibility  have  retained  possession.  They  are  glad  the  use- 
less old  fellow  is  out  of  the  Avay;  they  lay  him  in  the  dust  without 
a  sigh;  and  with  secret  self-gratulation,  take  possession  of  his 
hoards. 

The  character  and  dreary  friendlessness  of  the  wretched  miser 
probably  suggested  to  Solomon's  mind  the  subject  of  the  following 
verses, — the  benefits  of  society  and  friendship: — 

Verses  9-12.  Two  are  better  than  one;  because  they  liave  a  good 
reward  for  their  labor.  For  if  they  fall,  the  one  will  lift  up  hisfel- 
loiv;  but  looe  to  Imn  that  is  alone  when  he  falleth;  for  he  hath  not 
another  to  help  him  up.  Again,  if  two  lie  together  then  they  have 
heat:  but  how  can  one  be  warm  alone  f  And  if  one  prevail  against 
him,  two  shall  loithstand  him ;  and  a  three-fold  cord  is  not  (pdckly 
brolrn. 


120  LECTURE  VII. 

The  fio'ures  which  are  employed  in  these  ver-ses  are  in  them- 
selves so  plain  as  to  require  no  explanation.  They  are  all  intended 
to  illustrate  the  same  general  sentiment, — the  advantages  of  union 
and  co-operation;  and  the  sentiment  may  be  applied  to  every  de- 
scription of  faithful  and  well-principled  alliance, — to  marriage,  to 
friendship,  to  Christian  communion.  Many  and  valuable  are  the 
benefits  of  such  association  amidst  the  changes  of  this  uncertain 
world;  some  common  to  all  the  varieties  of  union^  and  some  pe- 
culiar to  each.  It  atfords  to  the  parties  mutual  counsel  and  direc- 
tion, especially  in  seasons  of  perplexity  and  embarrassment;  mu- 
tual svmpathy^  consolation,  and  care,  in  the  hour  of  calamity  and 
distress;  mutual  encouragement  in  anxiety  and  depression;  mu- 
tual aid,  by  the  joint  application  of  bodily  or  mental  energy  to 
<]iilicult  and  laborious  tasks;  mutual  relief  amidst  the  fluctuations 
of  worldly  circumstances,  the  abundance  of  the  one  reciprocally 
supplying  the  deficiencies  of  the  other;  mutual  defence  and  vin- 
dication, wlien  the  character  of  either  is  injuriously  attacked  and 
defamed ;  and  (what  may  be  considered  as  particularly  appropriate 
to  the  phraseology  of  the  tenth  verse)  mutual  reproof  and  affec- 
tionate expostulation  when  either  has,  through  the  power  of  temp- 
tation, fallen  into  sin: — "AVoe  to  him  that  is  alone  when  he"  so 
^'  falleth,  and  hath  not  another  to  help  him  up !"  no  one  to  care 
for  his  soul,  and  to  restore  him  to  the  paths  of  righteousness. 

In  all  cases,  union, — affectionate,  principled,  faithful  union, — 
the  connection  and  intercourse  of  kindred  souls, — must  be  emi- 
nentlv  productive  of  reciprocal  satisfaction  and  delight.  As  "  when 
two  lie  together  they  have  heat;"  so  two  hearts,  in  friendly  con- 
tact, warm  each  other  with  the  glow  of  mutual  love,  at  once  im- 
parting and  receiving  sensations  of  the  purest  pleasure.  Xor  is 
the  enjoyment,  exquisite  though  it  be,  arising  from  the  inter- 
change of  congenial  affections,  the  whole  of  the  benefit.  Such 
union  gives  stability  and  strength : — "  if  one  prevail  against  him, 
two  shall  withstand  him;  and  a  three-fold  cord  is  not  quickly 
broken."  The  fable  of  the  bundle  of  rods,  by  Avhich  the  dying 
father  taught  his  sons  the  benefit  of  union,  has  been  familiar  to  all 
of  you  from  your  childhood.  The  rods,  when  bound  together,  re- 
sisted all  tlieir  efforts  to  break  them;  but  when  untied,  and  taken 
one  by  one,  they  were  successively  sna])ped  -svith  ease.  The  ''three- 
fold cord"  conveys  the  same  lesson.     Twined  togetlier,  tlie  fila- 


ECCLESIASTES   IV.  4-lG.  .  121 

inento  are  strong;  untwined  and  separate,  they  are  slender  and 
feeble.  Thus  it  is,  that  a  union  of  interests,  counsels,  and  efforts, 
gives  vigor  and  animation,  both  in  spiritual  connections,  and  in 
the  relations  of  nature  and  of  business. 

It  was  on  the  principle  here  stated,  "two  are  better  than  one," 
tliat  the  marriage  relation  was,  in  part  at  least,  originally  founded. 
^^  The  Lord  God  said,  It  is  not  good  that  the  man  should  be  alone ; 
I  will  make  him  a  help  meet  for  him."  It  is  on  the  same  princi- 
ple that  men  collect  together  in  society,  and  that  all  their  various 
combinations  and  partnerships  are  formed,  for  the  successful  prose- 
cution of  particular  ends.  Righteous  and  wicked  alike  recognize 
and  act  upon  this  principle;  the  former  for  the  accomplishment 
of  good,  the  latter  for  the  perpetration  of  evil.  It  is  on  the  same 
principle  too,  beloved  brethren  in  the  Lord,  that  all  the  institu- 
tions of  social  religion  have  their  vindication  and  their  use.  He 
who  "knoweth  what  is  in  man"  Avas  well  aware  that  it  was  not 
good  for  his  people's  spiritual  interests,  that  they  should  be  alone; 
each  individual  pursuing  his  course  by  himself.  He  commanded 
their  association  in  churches,  in  the  l)ond  of  spiritual  love;  and 
appointed  ordinances  of  public  worship,  and  laAvs  of  social  inter- 
course :  that,  in  the  due  observance  of  these,  they  might  strengthen 
■one  another's  hands,  and  encourage  one  another's  hearts,  and  mutu- 
ally "provoke  to  love  and  to  good  works." 

The  concluding  verses  of  the  chapter  contain  some  of  the  morti- 
fications of  royalty,  of  which  Solomon  might  well  speak  with  free- 
dom, being  himself  the  wearer  of  a  crown. 

Royalty,  alas!  is  not  always  associated  with  wisdom:  and  where 
wisdom  is  awanting,  advancing  age,  very  generally,  adds  to  im- 
becility and  folly,  self-will,  obstinacy,  and  headstrong  contempt  of 
<'Ounsel : — 

Verse  13.  Better  is  a  }wor  and  a  u'ise  child,  than  an  old  and  fool- 
ish king,  who  vjill  no  more  be  admonished. 

"Better" — that  is,  happier,  and  more  really  useful.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  "wise  child"  is  limited  indeed ;  but  as  far  as  it  reaches, 
in  the  humble  sphere  of  life  in  which  his  lot  is  cast,  it  is  essenti- 
ally good:  but  the  "foolish  king"  has  extensive  power;  and  when 
power  is  in  league  with  folly,  the  l)oundaries  of  its  extent  are  only 
ithe  limits  of  its  mischief     Nothing,  indeed,  can  be  conceived  more 


122  LECTURE  VII. 

deplorable,  than  imbecility  united  with  obstinacy,  and   both  in; 
combination  Avitli  authority  and  force. 

Further :  the  ''  wise  child/''  although  poor,  is,  by  the  possession 
of  wisdom,  in  the  way  to  reputation,  preferment,  and  honor;  where- 
as the  "foolish  king,"  in  the  midst  of  riches  and  external  glory,  is^ 
by  his  folly,  in  the  way  to  poverty,  degradation,  and  disgrace. 
The  wisdom  of  the  one  may  advance  him  to  a  sceptre;  the  folly 
of  the  other,  as  recorded  experience  testifies,  may  wrest  the  sceptre- 
from  his  hand. 

This  is  probably  the  meaning  of  the  fourteenth  verse,  in  which 
Solomon  assigns  the  reason  of  his  preference: — 

Verse  14.  For  out  of  prison  he  cometh  to  reign;  ivhcreas  also  Iw 
that  is  born  in  his  kingdom  becometh  poor." 

The  "poor  and  wise  child"  rises  from  the  state  of  meanness  and 
of  oppression  to  a  throne;  whilst  the  "old  and  foolish  king,'^' 
though  "born  in  his  kingdom,  becometh  poor."  The  wisdom  of 
the  one,  Avhen  known  and  appreciated,  rescues  him  from  oppres- 
sion ;  draws  him  forth  from  obscurity ;  and  promotes  him  to  in.- 
fluence,  and  honor,  and  command.  Tlie  folly  of  the  other,  felt  in 
its  mischievous  and  galling  elfects,  shakes  the  stability  of  his  here- 
ditary throne.  Though  he  has  obtained  the  kingdom  by  inheritance,, 
and,  through  the  sufferance  of  a  burdened,  and  dishonored,  and 
harassed  people,  has  long  continued  to  wear  the  crown  in  this, 
right,  from  regard,  it  may  be,  to  former  princes  of  the  same  dy- 
nasty; yet  by  his  mal-administration  he  exhausts  his  treasures,, 
destroys  the  national  credit,  brings  his  government  to  bankruptcy, 
and  himself  either  to  a  necessary  though  constrained  abdication, 
<n-  to  a  forcible  deposition  from  his  dignity,  by  his  own  subjects., 
or  by  the  interference  of  a  foreign  power.  There  is,  possibly,  an 
allusion  in  the  passage,  (and  if  there  be,  it  can  be  no  more  than  an 
allusion,  for  in  some  respects  there  is  no  parallelism,)  to  the  op- 
pression and  advancement  of  Joseph:  on  which  supposition,  the- 
verse  will  contain  a  general  sentiment  under  a  reference  to  a  par- 
ticular case. 

Another  view  of  this  verse  has  suggested  itself  to  my  mind, 
which  it  may  be  worth  while  just  to  mention,  although  the  ex- 
planation already  given  seems  the  preferable  one.  "  Out  of  prison 
he  cometh  to  reign"  may  be  interpreted,  not  of  the  child,  but  of 
the  king.      A   monarch  of  the  cliaracter  described  is  a  ])risoner  ii\ 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-16.  123 

his  palace.  He  knows,  and  cannot  but  feel,  his  unpopularity :  and 
when  he  conies  forth  amongst  his  subjects  in  the  administration 
of  his  government,  he  comes  forth,  like  a  prisoner  from  confine- 
ment, to  which  he  is  immediately  to  be  remanded  again:  feeling 
none  of  the  confidence  of  freedom ;  none  of  the  fearless  security 
and  unreserved  openness  of  him  who  reigns  in  the  hearts  of  a 
grateful  and  happy  people;  but  full  of  apprehensions,  and  jeal- 
ousies, and  alarms;  suspicious  of  all  about  him,  and  even  of  the 
very  guards  tliat  have  sworn  fidelity  to  his  royal  person : — a  state 
of  mind  by  which  the  latter  days  of  some  "old  and  foolish  kings" 
have  been  most  fearfully  distracted. 

"Whereas  also,  he  that  is  born  in  his  kingdom  becometli  poor," 
will  then  refer  to  the  tendency  of  his  impolitic  and  infatuated 
measures,  to  ruin  trade  and  commerce,  and  reduce  his  hapless 
subjects  to  poverty  and  wretchedness. 

The  former  view,  however,  presents  a  natural  contract  between 
the  two  descriptions  of  character  mentioned  in  the  thirteenth 
verse,  in  regard  to  their  respective  tendencies;  of  the  one  to  ele- 
vation and  honor,  of  the  other  to  depression  and  disgrace:  and 
it  is  therefore,  in  all  probability,  the  true  meaning. 

In  the  two  last  verses  of  the  chapter  there  is  a  good  deal  of 
obscurity : — 

Verses  15,  16.  I  considered  all  the  living  tvho  icalh  under  the  sun^ 
with  the  second  child  that  shall  rise  up  in  his  stead.  There  is  no  end 
of  all  the  people,  even  of  all  that  have  been  before  them:  they  also  that 
come  after  shall  not  rejoice  in  him.  Surely  this  ako  is  vanity,  and 
vexation  of  spirit. 

The  general  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed  by  these  verses  seems 
to  be,  the  inconstancy  and  fickleness  of  pjopndar  attachment  to  fa- 
vorite rulers,  and  the  mortification  thence  arising  to  the  possessors 
of  royal  honor.  "  I  considered  all  the  living  that  walk  under  the 
sun,  with  the  second  child  that  shall  rise  up  in  his  stead ;" — that 
is,  with  the  child  his  second,  or  successor.  Such  is  the  meaning 
of  the  same  word  in  the  eighth  verse,  where  the  solitary  miser  is 
represented  as  having  no  second, — no  successor  to  his  wealth.  So 
here,  the  child  that  is  second  to  the  reigning  prince  is  the  child 
that  is  to  succeed  him  in  the  government, — the  heir  apparent  to 
the  throne.  Solomon  "considered,"  not  only  how  rapidly,  how 
immediately,  upon  the  demise  of  the  ])resent  occupant  of  the 


124  lecturp:  vii. 

throne,  the  attachment  shown  to  him  was  transferred  to  his  suc- 
cessor; how  quickly  servility  to  the  latter  jostled  out  the  memory 
of  the  former ;  but  he  further  observed,  that  eyen  in  the  old  king's 
lifetime  when  symptoms  discovered  themselves  of  his  end  drawing- 
near  the  heir  was  sedulously  courted,  though  with  greater  and 
less  deo-rees  of  delicacy;  interest  was  made  with  him,  and  insinu- 
ating adulation  addressed  to  him ;  he  became  the  object  of  attention 
and'solicitation;  whilst  the  aged  sire,  whose  favor,  having  lost  its 
prospective  influence,  had  declined  in  value,  was  neglected,  and 
sunk  into  contempt.  He  marked  the  prevailing  propensity  of 
men,  whether  from  motives  of  self-interest,  or  from  the  mere  love 
of  change,  to  disregard  the  setting,  and  to  worship  the  rising  sun. 
This  fickleness,  having  its  source  in  the  principles  of  man's  fal- 
len nature,  had  existed  in  preceding  ages,  existed  in  Solomon's 
own  days,  and  was  more  than  likely  to  continue  in  after  times : — 
Verse  16.  "There  is  no  end  of  all  the  people,  even  of  all  that 
have  been  before  them;  they  also  that  come  after  shall  not  rejoice 
in  him.     Surely  this  also  is  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

"No  end"  seems  here  to  mean,  no  fixed  jwint  in  which  the  people 
can  rest  with  any  settled  satisfaction ;  they  have  no  stability ;  they 
never  reach  an  object  in  which  their  gratification  is  permanent, — 
a  goal  of  their  capricious  and  fluctuating  desires.  They  are  ever 
fickle,  ever  fond  of  novelty  and  change.  "There  is  no  end  to  all 
the  people."  They  have  all,  in  this  respect,  the  same  generic 
character;  in  having  no  terminating  point  and  settled  resting  place 
to  their  views  and  wishes.  So  it  was  with  "all  the  people"  form- 
ino-  the  veneration  of  Solomon's  contemporaries;  so  it  had  been 
with  "all  who  were  before  them;"  and  "they  also  who  were  to 
come  after"  would  discover  the  same  tendency. 

Should  it  be  doubted,  whether  the  word  translated  eiul  be  sus- 
ceptible of  the  signification  thus  assigned  to  it,  then  the  meaning 
iiiust  be:— "There  is  no  end  to  all  the  people;"  new  generations 
have  been  continually  following  each  other,  and  the  same  course 
of  succession  is  now  going  on,  and  shall  continue  in  after  ages ; 
and  each  generation  in  its  turn  brings  with  it  its  own  peculiarities, 
its  own  likings  and  dislikings,— new  men,  influenced  by  new  cir- 
cnmstances,  seeking  after  new  things,  and  attaching  themselves  to 
new  favorites,  and  new  systems  of  administration. 

Such  hod  been  the  case.     The  inconstancy  com])lained  of,  Solo- 


ECCLESIA8TES  IV.  4-16.  125 

mon  knew,  from  ancient  history,  to  have  characterized  former 
generations.  He  had  even  seen  it  aifectingly  exemplified  within 
the  same  generation,  in  the  life-time  of  his  own  father.  It  had 
been  strikingly  displayed,  in  that  "cloudy  and  dark  day"  of  Da- 
vid's reign,  when  "  the  hearts  of  the  men  of  Israel  were  after  Ab- 
salom," alienated  from  the  father,  who  had  commenced  his  reign 
under  such  decided  indications  of  popular  attachment,  by  tlic  in- 
sinuating flatteries  and  promises  of  his  unnatural  son.  And  still 
more  recently,  in  the  extreme  age  of  "the  man  after  God's  own 
heart,"  at  a  time  when  the  reverence  of  filial  affection  ought  to 
have  restrained  the  stirrings  and  aspirations  of  an  ambitious  spirit, 
Adonijah  had  "exalted  himself,  and  said,  I  will  be  king;"  had 
"prepared  him  chariots  and  horsemen,  and  fifty  men  to  run  be- 
fore him ;"  and  had  formed  a  faction  in  support  of  his  claims ; 
thus  ungratefully  requiting  the  partial  fondness  of  a  father,  by 
disturbing  and  imbittering  his  old  age,  and  drawing  away  from 
him  the  affections  of  his  people  ere  his  time  of  departure  was  come. 
How  afflicting  this  to  the  father!  And  how  mortifying  to  the 
monarch,  to  witness  the  readiness  of  his  people  to  attach  them- 
selves to  another,  even  while  he  himself,  who  had  "gone  in  and 
out  before  them"  during  the  best  of  his  days,  was  yet  alive!  And 
even  in  the  case  of  Solomon  himself,  the  necessity  for  whose  im- 
mediate proclamation  arose  from  the  rebellion  of  Adonijah,  such 
feelings  of  secret  mortification  could  not  fail  to  mingle  with  the 
sentiments  of  parental  and  regal  satisfaction.  Although  Solomon 
was  the  dear  and  promising  son  of  a  beloved  mother,  and  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  throne  by  previous  Divine  intimation  and  his  own 
delighted  approval,  yet  the  public  rejoicings  at  his  coronation, 
when  "the  people  came  up  after  him,  piping  with  pipes,  and  ex- 
ulting with  great  joy,  and  shouting,  'God  save  king  Solomon!'  so 
that  the  city  rang  again,  and  the  earth  rent  with  the  sound  of 
them,"  1  Kings  i.  39,  40,  45,  however  gratifying  to  the  ear  both 
of  the  loving  father  and  the  patriot  king,  could  not  but  draw  the 
sigh  from  his  heart,  and  the  inward  exclamation,  "Vanity  of  vani- 
ties!"— when  in  the  plaudits  of  a  rejoicing  people  he  heard  the 
name  of  another  so  easily  substituted  lor  his  own.  And  the  scene 
must  have  been  affecting  to  the  son,  as  well  as  to  the  father ;  royal 
anticipations  mingling  with  tender  filial  regrets.  It  read  him  a 
salutary  lesson  of  humility  in   tlie  very  outset  of  his  reign,  when 


126  LECTUHEVII. 

surroundecj  with  so  much  that  was  fitted  to  intoxicate  and  bewilder 
&  yonthful  mind. 

It  was  noAV  a  mortifying  reflection  to  Solomon,  that  the  same 
fickleness  was  still  an  attribute  of  the  popular  character ;  and  that 
what  had  been  seen  by  him,  in  the  case  of  his  father,  would  soon 
be  repeated  in  his  own  and  in  his  successor's.  The  heir  apparent 
would  be  courted,  as  the  future  source  of  coveted  honors :  and  he, 
too,  on  his  rising  to  the  throne,  would  have  his  day,  and  in  his 
turn  be  neglected,  and  give  place  to  another: — "They  also  that 
oome  after  him  shall  not  rejoice  in  him."  This  is  surely  a  gall- 
ing and  humbling  consideration  to  royalty.  Let  not  the  young 
prince  exult  in  the  court  that  is  paid  to  him.  Let  him  consider 
how  much  of  it  is  the  product  of  selfishness;  and  be  assured  that 
his  own  day  of  mortification  is  coming,  and  may  not  be  distant. 
Let  the  rising  sun,  in  the  morning  of  his  glory,  and  amidst  his 
crowd  of  worshippers,  remember  that  he  must  set ;  and  that  even 
ere  he  hath  gone  down,  another  luminary,  emerging  from  the  op- 
posite horizon,  will  throw  his  evening  splendors  into  shade,  and 
draw  away  from  him  the  admiring  eyes  and  selfish  acclamations 
of  those  flatterers,  who  hailed  his  own  ascent,  and  waited  with 
their  adulations  on  his  course!  This  thought  is  enough,  of  itself, 
to  repress  the  swellings  of  vain-glory,  and  to  heave  with  a  sigh 
the  bosom  that  is  invested  with  the  purple : — "  Surely,  this  also  is 
A^anity,  and  vexation  of  sjiirit!" 

From  this  passage  let  us, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  learn,  to  let  nothing  discourage  us  in  icell- 
iloing. 

Let  not  the  consideration  in  the  fourth  verse,  that  "for  every 
right  work  a  man  is  envied  of  his  neighbor,"  restrain  us  from  the 
active  and  fearless  pursuit  of  what  is  glorifying  to  God,  or  profi- 
table to  men.  On  the  contrary,  "  whatsoever  our  hand  findeth  to 
do,"  for  either  of  these  ends,  or  for  the  comfort  and  reputation 
and  usefulness  of  ourselves  and  families,  let  us  "do  it  with  our 
might."  If  Ave  should  be  the  objects  of  envy,  it  is  better  that  we 
be  envied  for  eminence  in  good  deeds,  than  for  success  and  pros- 
perity in  evil.  This  is  true,  indeed,  of  all  descriptions  of  suifering, 
as  well  as  of  what  arises  from  envy.  "It  is  better,  if  the  Avill  of 
God  be  so,  that  ye  suffer  for  well-doing,  than  for  evil-doing." 
1  Pet.  iii.  17.     It  is  a  man's  honor  to  be  envied  on  such  grounds. 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-16.  127 

And  if  this  malignant  spirit  should  gratify  itself  in  the  invention 
.and  propagation  of  reproach  and  calumny,  we  shall  have  the  in- 
ward satisfaction  of  knowing  its  falsehood ;  "  having  a  good  con- 
science,"— a  treasure  on  such  occasions,  of  inestimable  value,  which 
"  cannot  be  gotten  for  gold,  neither  shall  silver  be  weighed  for  the 
price  of  it;"  the  possession  of  which  will  support  the  victim  of 
envv,  and  be  "his  rejoicing,"  even  if  that  unholy  passion  should 
be  successful  in  its  unworthy  machinations  to  "cast  him  down  from 
his  excellency."  We  cannot  and  ought  not  to  be  indiiferent  about 
.the  opinion  of  our  fellow-men,  and  the  reputation  we  hold  amono-st 
them,  lieligious  principle  concurs  with  the  feelings  of  nature  in 
inculcating  the  propriety  of  preventing  and  disarming  envy,  and 
counteracting,  by  all  honorable  means,  its  mischievous  devices. 
Yet  let  us,  my  dear  brethren,  be  under  the  habitual  influence  of 
a  higher  principle  than  regard  to  the  judgment  of  men.  Let  the 
fear  of  God  rule  in  our  hearts; — a  sacred  awe  of  his  sujjremacy;  a 
•conscience  "quick  as  the  apple  of  an  eye"  to  the  dictates  of  his 
will;  a  constant  reference  of  all  things  to  his  glory  as  our  end- 
.and,  in  dependence  on  his  faithfulness,  a  believing  anticipation  of 
the  fulfilment  of  his  "exceeding  great  and  precious  jH'omises." 
"Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord;  trust  also  in  him,  and  he  will 
bring  it  to  pass:  and  he  shall  luring  forth  thy  righteousness  as  the 
light,  and  thy  judgment  as  the  noon-day."  "Let  us  not  bo  weary 
in  well-doing:-  for  in  due  season  we  shall  reap,  if  avc  faint  not." 
Having  rightly  improved  our  talents  in  our  Master's  employ,  un- 
der the  influence  of  faith  and  love,  he  will  say  to  us  at  last "Well 

done,  good  and  faithful  servant;  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a 
few  things,  I  Avill  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things;  enter  thou 
into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  Psalm  xxxvii.  5,  6.  Gal.  vi.  9.  Matt 
XXV.  21. 

"^  Secondly;  "Take  heed,  and  ^czmrc  of  covdousness."  There 
are  few  passions  more  progressive  in  their  nature  than  avarice 
when  a  man  has  once  fairly  yielded  to  it  so  far  as  to  give  it  a  place 
in  his  bosom  as  a  principle  of  conduct.  BeAvare  of  it,  then  in  its 
earliest  and  most  specious  commencements.  Give  no  ear  to  its 
penurious  and  niggardly  suggestionsu  It  is  mean,  sordid,  and  des- 
picable in  itself,  and  being  directly  opposed,  in  principle  and 
practice,  to  the  ends  for  which  wealth,  according  to  the  maxims 
oof  the  Bible,  ought  to  be  sought,  it  k  contrary  to  the  express  M'ill 


128  LECTURE  VII. 

of  God,  thQ  giver  of  iiil  that  is  enjoyed  by  men.  Tiie  duty  of  a 
Christian  is,  to  "  labor,  working  with  his  hands  the  thing  that  is 
good,  that  he  may  have  to  give  to  him  that  ncedeth:''  to  "honor  the 
Lord  with  his  substance,  and  with  the  first-fruits  of  all  his  in- 
crease." O  beware,  (for  the  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,) — 
beware  of  cloaking  the  odious  principle  against  which  I  have  now,, 
in  the  words  of  the  Saviour  himself,  been  admonishing  you,  un- 
der the  sage  and  plausible  maxims  of  discretion,  and  economy,  and 
providence.  The  maxims  may  be  just;  but  the  use  made  of  them 
is  an  infamous  perversion.  Nothing,  however,  is  more  common, 
than  to  cloak  what  is  evil  under  the  specious  semblance  of  what  is 
good.  How  often  do  we  see  men,  and  men,  too,  professing  the 
benevolent  religion  of  Him  who,  "though  he  was  rich,  for  our 
sakes  became  poor,"  anxiously  scraping  together  with  one  hand, 
and  holding  fast  with  the  other,  as  if  in  jealous  dread  of  a  single- 
atom  escaping;  and  palliating  and  excusing  their  conduct  by  com- 
mon-place observations,  delivered  with  the  air  of  deep  and  oracu- 
lar wisdom,  as  to  the  necessity  and  duty  of  carefulness,  and  the 
sin  and  danger  of  extravagance.  In  condemning  one  extreme, 
they  fancy  they  have  justified  its  opposite.  Some  men  are  fool- 
ishly profuse;  therefore  they  must  be  hard  and  niggardly: — some 
men  give  away  what  is  not  their  own;  therefore  they  must  take 
care  how  they  part  with  what  i.s.— they  cannot  do  every  thing; 
and  this  is  their  regular  apology  for  doing  nothing.  Have  not  you 
met  with  such  characters?— and  have  not  you  despised  them? 
Beware,  then,  of  ever  becoming  their  imitators.  "  Look  not,  every 
man,  on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others : 
let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus."  I  re- 
peat His  words  :  "  Take  heed,  and  beware  of  covetousness."  Ye 
parents,  beware,  in  the  education  of  your  children,  of  impressing 
on  their  minds  the  wretched  maxims  of  penurious  hoarding,  mid 
grudging  parsimony.  Prudence  and  economy,  indeed,  they  ought 
to  be  taught,  both  by  precept  and  example :  but  oh !  let  it  be  a 
generous  prudence,  and  not  a  selfish  economy.  Of  extravagance 
there  are  two  descriptions;  the  extravagance  of  selfishness,  and 
the  extravagance  of  charity.  The  one  grudges  no  expenditure  of 
which  the  end  is  self-gratification ;  the  other  is  the  indiscreet  over- 
flowing of  a  generous  heart,  under  the  impulse  of  feeling  rather 
than  of  judgment.     The  former  requires  to  be  steadily  restrained. 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-16.  129 

The  latter  must  be  managed  with  much  caution  and  gentleness, 
lest,  in  our  attempts  to  repress  the  practice,  we  crush  the  princi- 
ple; lest  in  reprimanding  and  punishing  profusion,  we  destroy 
charity.  Do  not  frown  on  an  act  of  generosity  because,  in  the 
glow  of  youthful  emotion,  the  limits  of  prudence  have  been  over- 
stepped. Give  your  approving  smile  to  the  motive,  whilst  you 
gently  show  the  inj  udiciousness  of  the  deed.  If  the  case  be  such 
that  to  criticise  the  act  might  expose  the  principle  to  hazard,  spare 
your  criticism;  and  let  time  and  experience,  and  growing  know- 
ledge, be  the  correctors  of  the  conduct.  These  will  gradually 
modify  and  regulate  the  inward  impulses  and  the  outward  acts  of 
charity.  But  beware  of  the  encroachments  of  avarice.  Nothing 
can  be  more  incongruous  than  a  youthful  spirit  under  the  rule  of 
this  odious  passion,  and  nothing  more  gloomily  unpromising.  To 
teach  your  children  avarice,  is  to  teach  them  what  will  "grow  with 
their  growth,  and  strengthen  with  their  strength ;"  and,  in  its  j^ro- 
gress  and  maturity,  will  make  them  despicable  in  society,  misera- 
ble in  themselves,  and  useless  to  others. 

3.  Thirdly ;  Let  us,  my  dear  Christian  brethren,  rejoice  in  our 
union,  and  steadily  maintain  it,  in  the  exercise  of  principled  and 
faithful  love ;  that  we  may  secure  to  ourselves  and  to  one  another 
its  inestimable  advantages.  To  no  kind  of  association  is  the  say- 
ing, "two  are  better  than  one,"  more  decidedly  applicable,  than 
to  that  of  the  fellowship  of  the  church  of  Christ.  Disunion  is,  in 
every  vie>v,  disheartening  and  debilitating;  cordial  union  animating 
and  strengthening.  Universal  experience  says  so; — our  oxen  ex- 
perience says  so.  A  church  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand, 
any  more  than  a  kingdom  or  a  family.  In  division,  Satan  ob- 
tains an  advantage  over  us,  through  the  want  of  the  mutual  coun- 
sels, admonitions,  and  encouragements,  of  Christian  love;  and  he 
obtains  an  advantage,  too,  over  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer,  by 
slackening  the  vigor  of  cordial  co-operation  for  its  advancement. 
"Suffer  ye,"  then,  "the  word  of  exhortation."  Let  me  affection- 
ately beseech  you,  in  the  language  of  inspired  authority,  "  that  ye 
walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  ye  are  called ;  with  all 
lowliness  and  meekness,  with  long-suffering,  forbearing  one  an- 
other in  love;  endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the 
bond  of  peace:" — "that  ye  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  with  one  mind, 
striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel:" — "that  ye  hold  fast 


130  LECTURE  VII. 

the  professiQn  of  your  faith  without  wavering,  for  he  is  faithful 
who  hath  promised ;  and  consider  one  another,  to  provoke  unto 
love  and  to  good  works;  not  forsaking  the  assembling  of  your- 
selves together,  as  the  manner  of  some  is,  but  exhorting  one  an- 
other; and  so  much  the  more,  as  ye  see  the  day  approaching." 
Agreeably  to  the  description  in  the  verses  that  have  been  under 
review,  of  the  mutual  benefits  of  union,  "warn  them  that  are  un- 
ruly, comfort  the  feeble-miuded,  support  the  weak,  be  patient  to- 
ward all  men."  "Finally,  brethren,  be  perfect,  be  of  good  com- 
fort, be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace;  and  the  God  of  love  and  peace 
shall  be  with  you."  Thus  shall  you  know,  by  increasing  experi- 
ence, "how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is,  for  brethren  to  dwell  to- 
gether in  unity;"  and  "the  Lord  will  command  the  blessing,  even 
tife  for  evermore."  Eph.  iv.  1-3.  Phil.  i.  27.  Heb.  x.  23-25.  2 
Cor.  xiii.  11.    Psalm  cxxxiii.  1,  3. 

4.  Fourthly.  Beware  of  seeking  your  happiness  in  the  favor 
and  applause  of  men.  Alas !  it  is  fickle  and  mutable  as  the  very 
wind. 

"►^^Y)  what  is  fame? 


It  is  a  fancied  life  in  others'  breath ; 

A  thing  beyond  us,  even  before  our  death." 

The  courtier,  whose  wishes  and  expectations  are  dependent  on  the 
smiles  and  the  sunshine  of  royal  favor,  and  the  prince,  who  looks 
for  constant  enjoyment  in  the  possession  of  popularity  and  public 
applause,  both  trust  to  what  is  proverbially  capricious  and  inse- 
cure. "Trust  not  in  man,  whose  breath  is  in  his  nostils;  for 
wherein  is  he  to  be  accounted  of?"  Let  not  the  venerable  monarch 
of  these  realms,  our  good  old  king,  be  the  victim  of  such  popular 
caprice.  Let  him  enjoy,  to  the  close  of  his  days,  the  satisfaction 
imparted  by  the  attachment  of  a  loyal  people.  Let  not  his  grey 
hairs  be  despised ;  let  not  our  sympathy  be  refused  to  his  infirmi- 
ties and  sufferings;  let  not  the  respect  be  forgotten  that  is  due  to 
the  declining  sun.*  And,  whilst  we  set  an  example  of  steadfast 
loyalty  to  our  earthly  monarch,  let  us,  above  all,  adhere,  with  un- 
declining  attachment,  to  the  cause,  and  service,  and  glory  of  the 
"King  of  kings,"  who  fills  the  throne  and  sways  the  sceptre  of 

-The  reader  requires  to  be  reminded  of  the  time  when  these  Lectures  were 
delivered.  References  of  this  kind  to  our  late  revered  Monarch  I  could  not 
lind  in  mv  heart  to  erase. — Author's  note. 


ECCLESIASTES  IV.  4-lG.  lol 

an  eternal  dominion;  who  can  never  give  place  to  a  successor;  and 
who  is  supremely  entitled  to  the  growing  admiration  and  the  ever- 
lasting attachment  of  all  his  subjects.  In  his  immutable  favor, 
too,  let  us  seek  our  enjoyment.  It  is  the  only  enduring  happi- 
ness; springing  from  the  only  source  that  is  nnsusceptiblc  of 
change.  In  his  smile  there  lurks  no  deceit;  in  his  assurances  of 
regard  there  is  no  duplicity  or  simulation;  "his  gifts  and  calling 
are  without  repentance;"  and  in  his  royal  clemency  and  paternal 
love  there  is  the  fullness  of  eternal  joy.  "  AVhom  have  I  in  heaven 
but  thee?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  whom  I  desire  in  prefer- 
ence to  thee.  My  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth;  but  God  is  the 
strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  for  ever."  "  There  be  many 
that  say.  Who  will  show  us  any  good?  Lord,  lift  thou  up  the 
light  of  thy  countenance  upon  us.  Thou  hast  put  gladness  in  my 
heart,  more  than  in  the  time  that  their  corn  and  their  wine  in- 
creased." Psalm  Ixxiii.  25,  26.    Ibid.  iv.  6,  7. 


LECTUEE  VIII 


ECCLESIASTES   V.  1-7. 

"  Keep  thy  foot  when  thou  goest  to  the  house  of  God,  and  be  more  ready  to 
hear,  than  to  give  the  sacrifice  of  fools :  for  they  consider  not  tliat  they  do 
evil.  2.  Be  not  rash  Avith  thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thine  heart  be  hasty  to 
utter  (any)  thing  before  God:  for  God  (is)  in  heaven,  and  thou  upon  earth; 
therefore  let  thy  words  be  few. .  3.  For  a  dream  cometh  through  the  mul- 
titude of  business;  and  a  fool's  voice  (is  known)  by  multitude  of  Avords. 
4.  When  thou  vowest  a  vow  unto  God,  defer  not  to  pay  it:  for  (he  hath)  no 
pleasure  in  fools :  pay  that  which  thou  hast  vowed.  5.  Better  (is  it)  that 
thou  shouldst  not  vow,  than  that  thou  shouldst  vow  and  not  pay.  6.  Suffer 
not  thy  mouth  to  cause  thy  flesh  to  sin ;  neither  say  thou  before  the  angel, 
that  it  (was)  an  error:  wherefore  should  God  be  angiy  at  thy  voice,  and 
destroy  the  work  of  thine  hands?  7.  For  in  the  multitude  of  dreams  and 
many  words  (there  are)  also  (divers)  vanities:  but  fear  thou  God." 

Amidst  the  lessons  which  God  teaches  us,  both  by  his  word  and 
by  his  providence,  of  the  vanity  of  human  life,  and  its  diversified 
pursuits^and  enjoyments,  and  amidst  the  melancholy  experience, 
prevailing  around  us  and  reaching  ourselves,  of  the  insufficiency 
of  learning,  riches,  pleasure,  power,  and  honor,  to  confer  unmingled 
and  permanent  happiness,  teue  religion  is  the  only  eifectual 
supporter  of  the  mind.  It  alone  is  exempt  from  the  general  ver- 
dict, "All  is  vanity ;"  a  verdict  comprehending  whatever  pertains 
to  this  world  and  to  time.  But  religion  is  not  of  this  world,  nor 
does  time  limit  the  enjoyment  of  its  blessings.  It  is  of  celestial 
origin,  and  possesses  a  kindred  immortality  with  the  Being  who 
is  the  object  of  its  regards.  It  affords  to  man  genuine  and  sub- 
stantial happiness,  both  in  possession  and  in  hope.  It  alone  im- 
parts the  true  relish  of  the  blessings  of  life,  and  it  alone  can  lighten 
its  burdens,  and  mitigate  its  woes.  Intercourse  with  God  strengthens 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  1-7.  133 

against  the  temptations,  and  supports  under  the  trials,  that  arise 
from  intercourse  with  men.  The  very  thought  of  His  favor,  which 
is  "  better  than  life,"  makes  every  thing  else,  by  comparison,  ap- 
pear in  its  proper  light,  and  thus  prevents  us  from  being  either 
unduly  elevated,  or  excessively  depressed,  by  the  vicissitudes  of 
time;  teaching  us  to  be,  "when  we  rejoice,  as  though  we  rejoiced 
not;  and  when  we  weep  as  though  we  wept  not;  and  when  Ave 
buy  as  though  we  possessed  not;  and  when  we  use  this  world  as 
not  abusing  it;  because  the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away." 
1  Cor.  vii.  29-31. 

The  ordinances  of  the  House  of  God;  the  sacred  exercises  of 
social  worship;  have  ever  been  the  delight  of  the  true  Israel :  at- 
tendance on  them  infusing  vigor  and  animation  into  their  souls ; 
and  the  privation  of  them  depressing  their  minds,  enfeebling  all 
their  spiritual  efforts,  extracting  their  sweetness  from  all  earthly 
enjoyments,  and  exciting  the  most  vehement  and  longing  desires 
for  their  restoration.  "How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord 
of  hosts !  My  soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the 
Lord ;  my  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God.  Blessed 
are  they  that  dwell  in  thy  house;  they  will  be  still  praising  thee :" — 
"O  God,  thou  art  my  God;  early  will  I  seek  thee:  my  soul  thirst- 
eth  for  thee ;  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee,  in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land, 
where  no  water  is ;  to  see  thy  power  and  thy  glory,  so  as  I  have 
seen  thee  in'the  sanctuary:'' — "As  the  hartpanteth  after  the  water 
brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God.  My  soul  thirsteth 
for  God,  for  the  living  God ;  when  shall  I  come  and  appear  be- 
fore God  ?  For  I  had  gone  with  the  multitude ;  I  went  with  them 
to  the  house  of  God  with  the  voice  of  joy  and  praise,  with  the 
multitude  that  kept  holy  day:" — "I  was  glad  when  they  said 
unto  me,  Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord."  Psalm  Ixxxiv. 
1,  2,  4.    Ixiii.  1,  2.    xlii.  1,  2,  4.   cxxii.  1. 

Such,  however,  is  the  insinuating  influence  of  the  vanities  of 
life,  and  of  the  things  of  time  and  sense  in  general,  that  we  are  in 
constant  danger  of  allowing  our  thoughts  about  them  to  intrude 
on  our  religious  exercises,  and  to  mingle  with  the  most  sacred 
feelings  of  devotion ;  nay  sometimes,  (such  is  their  power  over  our 
hearts,)  of  performing  our  acts  of  worship  in  a  light,  inconsiderate, 
and  merely  external  manner,  "drawing  nigh  to  God  with  our  lips, 
and  honoring  him  with  our  mouths,  whilst  our  hearts  are  far  from 


134  LECTURE  YIII, 

him."  In  t^his  Avay,  in  proportion  as  our  minds  are  thus  roving 
and  divided  and  pre-occupied,  we  turn  our  religion  itself  to  vani- 
ty. It  becomes  absolutely  worthless;  an  insult  to  God,  and  pro- 
fitless to  ourselves.  It  loses  at  once  its  nature  and  its  influence. 
Such  being  the  powerful  tendency  of  the  vanities  of  the  world, 
Solomon  addresses  a  special  warning  against  it : — 

Verse  1.  Keej)  thy  foot  when  thou  goest  to  the  house  of  God,  and 
be  more  ready  to  hear,  than  to  give  the  sacrifice  of  fools;  for  they  con- 
sider not  that  they  do  evil. 

The  "House  of  God"  was  the  Temple,  which  Solomon  himself 
had  burlt  for  the  residence  and  worship  of  the  God  of  Israel.  But 
tlie  admonition  applies,  in  the  full  spirit  of  it,  to  Christian  as  well 
as  to  Jewish  worship, — to  the  service  of  God  under  every  dispen- 
sation of  religion. 

"Keep  thy  foot:" — that  is.  Go  not  with  rash  and  hasty  steps, 
indicating  light  and  inconsiderate  thoughtlessness.  Think  of  the 
nature  of  the  place;  and  think  of  the  purpose  for  which  you  go 
thither.  The  place  is  "the  house  of  God:"  the  chosen  residence 
of  Jehovah ;  where  He  whom  "the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  con- 
tain," "in  very  deed  dwells  with  men  upon  earth;"  where  he  hath 
"  put  his  Name,"  and  manifested  his  glory : — and  you  go  thither, 
to  engage  in  the  worship  of  this  God,  tlie  living  God,  "the  high 
and  lofty  One  wlio  inhabiteth  eternity,  whose  name  is  Holy."  Go 
thither,  therefore,  Avith  serious  reflection.  Remember  how  the 
God  Avhom  you  are  about  to  worship  said,  on  different  occasions, 
when  he  appearecl  to  his  most  favored  servants,  "  Put  off  thy  shoe 
from  thy  foot,  for  the  place  where  thou  standest  is  holy  ground :" 
and  let  your  spirits,  in  all  your  approaches  to  him,  be  under  the 
influence  of  "  reverence  and  godly  fear," 

"And  be  more  ready  to  hear,  than  to  ofter  the  sacrifice  of  fools." 
The  "sacrifice  of  fools"  means,  I  think,  the  sacrifice  that  is  ofl'ered 
without  the  heart;  in  presenting  which,  the  external  service  is 
performed,  and  performed,  it  may  be,  with  a  scrupulous  adherence 
to  the  prescribed  ritual,  but  without  the  devotion  of  "the  inner 
man,"  Avithout  spiritual  homage,  without  a  sentiment  to  piety. 
This  is  a  fool's  offering;  because  there  cannot  be  greater  folly  than 
to  imagine  the  searcher  of  hearts  to  be  pleased  with  it.  How 
strong  are  the  testimonies  to  the  contrary,  addressed  by  his  pro- 
phets to   liis  ancient  people,  who  "made  their  ))oast  of  the  law, 


ECCLESIASTE.S  V.   1-7.  135 

whilst,  through  breaking  it,  they  dishonored  God."  "To  what 
purpose  is  the  multitude  of  your  sacrifices  unto  me?  saith  the 
Lord:  I  am  full  of  the  burnt-otierings  of  rams,  and  the  fat  of  fed 
beasts,  and  I  delight  not  in  the  l)lood  of  bullocks,  or  of  lambs,  or 
of  he-goats.  When  ye  come  to  appear  before  me,  who  hath  re- 
quired this  at  your  hand,  to  tread  my  courts?  Bring  no  more 
vain  oblations :  incense  is  an  abomination  unto  me;  the  new-moons 
and  sabbaths,  the  calling  of  assemblies,  I  cannot  away  with:  it  is 
iniquity,  even  the  solemn  meeting.  Your  new-moons  and  your 
appointed  feasts,  my  soul  hateth;  they  are  a  trouble  unto  me;  I 
am  weary  to  bear  them.  And  when  ye  spread  forth  your  hands, 
I  will  hide  mine  eyes  from  you ;  yea,  when  ye  make  many  prayers, 
I  will  not  hear:  your  hands  are  full  of  blood."  Isa.  i.  11-15.  Such 
services  were  not  only  worthless  and  unacceptable;  they  were 
hateful  to  God.  He  represents  himself  as  holding  them  in  ab- 
horrence, as  much  as  he  did  the  blood  of  an  unclean  victim,  or 
even  of  a  human  sacrifice.  Such  seems  to  be  the  spirit  of  the  fol- 
lowing verses : — "  He  that  killeth  an  ox,  is  as  if  he  slew  a  man ; 
he  that  saerificeth  a  lamb,  as  if  he  cut  off  a  dog's  neck ;  he  that 
offereth  an  oblation,  as  if  he  offered  SMdne's  blood;  he  that  burneth 
incense,  as  if  he  blessed  an  idol :  yea,  they  have  chosen  their  own 
ways,  and  their  soul  delighteth  in  their  abominations.  I  also  will 
choose  their  delusions,  and  will  bring  their  fears  upon  them ;  be- 
cause when- 1  called  none  did  ansAver ;  when  I  spoke  they  did  not 
hear ;  but  they  did  evil  before  mine  eyes,  and  chose  that  in  which 
I  delighted  not."  Isa.  Ixvi.  3,  4.  These  are  expanded  statements 
of  the  sentiment  more  briefly  expressed  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs, 
"The  sacrifice  of  the  wicked. is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord:"  to 
which,  on  one  occasion,  it  is  added,  "  How  much  more  when  he 
bringeth  it  with  a  svicked  mind !"  Prov.  xv.  8  ;  xxi.  27, — that  is, 
when  not  only  his  general  character  is  ungodly,  but  there  is  some 
special  evil  purpose  cloaked  under  the  particular  act  of  hypocritical 
devotion. 

"  Be  more  ready  to  hear "  than  to  offer  a  heartless  and  detested 
sacrifice : — to  hear,  with  a  sincere  and  earnest  desire  to  know  and 
to  obey  the  will  of  God.  Men  may  hear,  and  even  profess  a  will- 
ingness to  hear,  when  there  is  no  disj^osition  to  obey.  The  charac- 
ter of  the  Jews  in  Ezekiel's  time  is  one,  alas !  of  no  very  rare  oc- 
currence: "Also,  thou  son  of  man,  the  children  of  thy  people  still 


136  LECTURE  VIII. 

are  talking  concerning  thee,  by  the  walls,  and  in  the  doors  of  the 
houses,  and  speak  one  to  another,  every  man  to  his  brother,  say- 
ing, Come,  I  pray  you,  and  hear  what  is  the  word  that  cometh 
forth  from  the  Lord.  And  they  come  unto  thee  as  the  people 
cometh ;  and  they  sit  before  thee  as  my  people ;  and  they  hear  thy 
words,  but  they  will  not  do  them :  for  with  their  mouth  they  show 
much  love,  but  their  heart  goeth  after  its  covetousness :  and  lo, 
thou  art  unto  them  as  a  very  lovely  song  of  one  that  hath  a  pleas- 
ant voice,  and  can  play  well  on  an  instrument;  for  they  hear  thy 
words,  but  they  do  them  not."  Ezek.  xxxiii.  30-32.  But  in  the 
passage  before  us,  and  in  many  others,  hearing  is  equivalent  to 
obeying.  Thus,  when  Samuel  says  to  Saul,  in  the  full  spirit  of 
the  sentiment  we  are  considering;  "Hath  the  Lord  as  great  de- 
light in  burnt-oiferings  and  sacrifices,  as  in  obeying  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  ?  Behold  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken 
than  the  fat  of  rams,"  1  Sam.  xv.  22 ;  hearkening  means  the  same 
thing  as  obeying:  and  the  quotations  formerly  introduced,  to  show 
the  meaning  of  the  "sacrifice  of  fools,"  might  here  be  cited  anew. 
"For  they  consider  not  that  they  do  evil,"  There  cannot  be 
more  obvious  evil,  than  to  come  before  God  in  acts  of  solemn  wor- 
ship, with  no  affection  of  the  heart  in  exercise,  or  with  a  heart  still 
estranged  and  at  enmity.  And  yet,  as  "the  heart  is  deceitful 
above  all  things,"  men  may  even  so  far  impose  upon  themselves, 
as  to  fancy  they  are  doing  what  He  will  be  pleased  with  and  ac- 
cept, when  they  offer  this  soul-less  homage;  this  unhallowed  and 
odious  service.  Thus  it  was  with  multitudes  of  the  ancient  Is- 
raelites. Regardless  alike  of  the  spiritual  meaning  and  the  spiritual 
performance  of  their  acts  and  offerings,  they  vainly  imagined  that 
all  was  well,  if  blood  were  duly  shed;  if  ablutions  w^ere  regularly 
made;  if  tithes  were  sacredly  paid;  and  incense  fumed  on  the 
censer  at  the  appointed  seasons.  It  is  on  the  foolishness  of  such  an 
imagination  that  Jehovah  thus  indignantly  expostulates  with  them : 
"Hear,  O  my  people,  and  I  will  speak:  O  Israel,  and  I  will  testify 
against  thee ;  I  am  God,  even  thy  God.  I  will  not  reprove  thee 
for  thy  sacrifices,  or  thy  burnt-offerings,  to  have  been  continually 
before  me.  I  will  take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house,  nor  he-goats 
out  of  thy  folds ;  for  every  beast  of  the  forest  is  mine,  and  the 
cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills.  I  know  all  the  fowls  of  the  moun- 
tains :  and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field  are  mine.     If  I  were  hun- 


ECCLBSIASTES  V.  1-7.  137 

gry,  I  would  not  tell  thee :  for  the  world  is  mine,  and  the  fullness 
thereof.  Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls,  or  drink  the  blood  of  goats? 
Oifer  unto  God  thanksgiving;  and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most 
High :  and  call  upon  me  in  the  day  of  trouble ;  I  will  deliver  thee, 
and  thou  shalt  glorify  me.  But  unto  the  wicked  God  saith,  What 
hast  thou  to  do  to  declare  my  statutes,  or  that  thou  shouldst  take 
my  covenant  in  thy  mouth?  Seeing  thou  hatest  instruction,  and 
castest  my  words  behind  thee."  Psalm  1.  7-17. 

Let  us  not  forget,  ray  brethren,  that  the  same  general  sentiments 
are  perfectly  applicable  to  the  services  of  New  Testament  worship. 
We  too  have  acts  of  outward  devotion  to  perform,  and  we  too  are 
in  danger  of  satisfying  ourselves  with  the  outward  performance 
of  them.  But  the  mere  utterance  of  the  words  of  praise  and  prayer; 
the  mere  ceremony  of  sprinkling  with  or  immersing  in  water;  the 
mere  participation  of  the  symbols  of  bread  and  wine;  are  just  as 
worthless,  without  the  accompanying  homage  of  the  heart,  as  any 
observance  of  the  Mosaic  Ceremonial.  The  "calves  of  the  lips" 
are,  in  themselves,  no  better  than  the  "calves  of  the  stall."  They 
are  both  alike  the  "sacrifice  of  fools." 

If  we  consider  with  becoming  seriousness  what  we  are  doing 
when  we  go  to  the  house  of  God,  we  shall  thereby  be  led  to  fulfill 
the  admonition  in  the  second  verse : 

Verse  2.  Be  not  rash  with  thy  mouth,  and  let  not  thy  heart  be  hasty 
to  utter  any  thing  before  God;  for  God  is  in  heaven,  and  thou  upon 
earth:  therefore  let  thy  words  be  few. 

Of  all  that  we  utter  in  our  addresses  to  God  we  should  ma- 
turely weigh  the  meaning.  All  should  be  the  deliberate  dictate 
of  a  reflecting  niind,  and  of  an  impressed  and  feeling  heart.  We 
must  take  heed,  that  we  do  not 

"  Mock  him  with  a  solemn  sound 

Upon  a  thoughtless  tongue." 

We  must  beware  of  this  in  every  part  of  our  addresses  to  him : — 
in  the  appellations  of  adoring  reverence  with  which  we  approach 
his  presence ;  for  these  should  be  dictated  by  deep,  humble,  godly 
fear: — in  our  confessions  of  sin,  and  guilt,  and  unworthiness ;  for 
these  must  not  "come  out  of  feigned  lips,"  but  must  express  a 
real  heart-felt  sense  of  what  we  are,  and  of  what  we  deserve : — in 
our  supplications  and  cries  for  mercy ;  for  these  must  spring  from 
an  abasing  conviction  of  our  need  of  mercy  in  all  its  freedom  and 


138  LECTURE  VIII. 

in  all  its  richness,  and  of  the  impossibility  of  our  being  justified 
in  God's  sight,  if  he  should  enter  with  us  into  judgment: — in  our 
expressions  of  gratitude  for  the  gifts  of  Divine  goodness;  for  in 
these  "our  souls  and  all  that  is  within  us  must  bless  his  holy 
Name:" — in  our  petitions  for  spiritual  blessings;  for  in  presenting 
these,  our  hearts  should  be  enlarged  with  fervent  desires  after 
them,  from  an  experimental  feeling  of  their  incomparable  precious- 
ness: — and  in  our  professed  resolutions  to  "cleave  to  the  Lord;" 
for  these  must  be  uttered  "with  purpose  of  heart,"  else  they  are 
hypocritical  mockery.  There  appears  to  be,  in  the  admonition, 
a  special  reference  to  the  making  and  uttering  of  rash  and  incon- 
siderate vows;  a  subject  enlarged  upon  in  the  following  verses. 
But  it  applies,  with  perfect  propriety,  and  iu  all  its  energy,  to 
■every  description  of  religious  service.  The  consideration  by  which 
the  admonition  is  inforced,  is,  in  the  same  way,  one  of  universal 
application : 

"For  God  is  in  heaven,  and  thou  upon  earth;  therefore  let  thy 
words  be  few." 

This  clause  of  the  verse  expresses  the  distance  between  God  and 
his  creatures,  and  the  consequent  veneration  and  sacred  awe  which 
they  ought  to  feel  and  to  manifest  in  all  their  intercourse  with  him; 
not  addressing  him  with  a  profusion  of  unpondered  and  heartless 
words,  but  with  the  lowly  and  unobtrusive  devotion  of  the  whole 
ftoul.  "God  is  in  heaven."  The  expression  may  be  understood 
as  including  his  uncontrolled  supremacy,  his  omniscient  observa- 
tion, and  his  moral  purity.  His  supremacy; — "The  Lord  hath 
erected  his  throne  in  the  heavens;  and  his  kingdom  ruletli  over 
all."  "Our  God  is  in  the  heavens:  he  hath  done  whatsoever  he 
hath  pleased."  His  omniscience; — "The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  tem- 
ple ;  the  Lord's  throne  is  in  heaven :  his  eyes  behold,  his  eye-lids 
try,  the  children  of  men:"  "The  Lord  looketh  from  heaven;  he 
beholdeth  all  the  sons  of  men:  from  the  place  of  his  habitation 
he  looketh  upon  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth."  HisjMrity; — 
"Thus  saith  the  high  and  lofty  One  who  inhabitcth  eternity,  whose 
name  is  Holy,  I  dwell  in  the  high  and  holy  place."  Psalm  ciii. 
19.  cxv.  3.  xi.  4.  xxxiii.  13,  14.  Isa.  Ivii.  15.  Under  the  impres- 
sion, then,  of  sacred  dread  of  his  majesty  and  holiness,  and  of  his 
universal  and  unceasing  observation  of  all  things,  "let  thy  words 
be  few."     This  corresponds  with  the  expressions  in  the  beginning 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  1-7.  139 

of  the  verse,  as  their  evident  counterpart.  The  fewness  of  words 
is  meant  to  imply  their  being  well  weighed  and  well  ordered,  in 
opposition  to  their  being  poured  out  with  hasty  thoughtlessness. 
And  this  is  the  natural  effect  of  reverence,  which  always  restrains 
rash  and  inconsiderate  utterance  in  the  presence  of  its  object.  Not 
that  all  copiousness,  and  all  repetition,  in  prayer  are  by  this  ad- 
monition condemned.  As  to  copiousness,  much  depends  on  the 
number  and  extent  of  the  topics  of  supplication,  and  on  the  state 
of  the  supplicant's  mind: — and  as  to  repetition,  it  may  be  so  far 
from  an  impropriety,  as  to  be  an  expression  at  once  of  strength  of 
faith,  and  fervor  of  desire.  Of  copiousness,  we  hav  e  examples  in 
the  prayers  of  Solomon,  of  Xehemiah,  and  of  Daniel;  and  of  repe- 
tition, in  those  of  Paul,  and  of  the  blessed  Jesus  himself,  who, 
when  "in  the  days  of  his  flesh  he  offered  up  prayers  and  suppli- 
cations, with  strong  crying  and  tears,  to  him  who  was  able  to  save 
him  from  death,"  thrice  repeated,  in  the  anguish  of  his  spirit,  the 
.same  petition,  in  the  same  words.  He  encouraged  importunity, 
too,  in  his  disciples,  (and  importunity  necessarily  implies  repeti- 
tion,) by  recommending  the  example  of  the  woman  of  Canaan,  as 
an  evidence  of  strong  faith;  and  by  delivering  the  parable  of  the 
poor  widow  and  the  unjust  judge,  for  the  very  purpose  of  incul- 
cating the  lesson,  that  "they  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to 
faint."  See  1  Kings  viii.  Neh.  ix.  3.  Dan.  ix.  2  Cor.  xii.  8.  Matt, 
xxvi.  44.  XV.  -21-28.  Luke  xviii.  1-7.  What  is  forbidden  is,  the 
unmeaning  profusion  of  words,  the  product  of  a  light  and  unim- 
pressed mind;  and  what  Jesus  himself  denominates  "vain  repeti- 
tions," such  as  "the  heathen  use,  when  they  think  they  are  to  be 
heard  for  their  much  speaking;"  of  which  we  have  a  fine  exem- 
plification in  Scripture  history,  in  the  frantic  orgies  of  the  wor- 
shippers of  Baal,  wlien  they  "called  on  the  name  of  their  god  from 
morning  until  noon,  saying,  O  Baal  hear  us;"  and,  being  stimu- 
lated by  the  keen  irony  of  the  venerable  Elijah,  continued  their 
unavailing  cries  "till  the  time  of  the  evening  sacrifice."  1  Kings 
xviii.  26-29.  Thus,  there  appears  a  perfect  and  instructive  har- 
mony between  the  directions  of  the  Old  Testament  and  tliose  of 
the  New,  as  to  the  spirit  and  manner  of  the  worship  of  God. 
What  a  beautiful  illustration  of  his  own  precept,  as  well  as  of 
the  cautions  and  injunctions  of  Solomon  in  the  passage  before  us, 
is  the  prayer  which  Christ  taught  his  disciples: — "After  tliis  man- 


.^( 
m^' 


140  LECTURE  viir. 

ner,  therefore,  pray  ye :  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  Hallowed 
be  thy  name.  Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth, 
as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  for- 
give us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors.  And  lead  us  not 
into  temptation;  but  deliver  us  from  evil:  For  thine  is  the  king- 
dom, and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever.  Amen."  Matt.  vi. 
9-13. 

Verse  3.  For  a  dream  cometh  through  the  multitude  of  busmess;- 
and  a  fool's  voice  is  knoion  by  multitude  of  words. 

There  is  a  comparison,  I  apprehend,  intended  in  this  verse: — 
"For  as  a  dream  cometh  through  the  multitude  of  business;  so  a 
fool's  voice  is  known  by  the  multitude  of  words."  When  a  man 
has  been  occupied  with  a  great  variety  of  cares  and  businesses 
during  the  day,  the  consequence  very  often  is,  confused  and  inco- 
herent dreams  by  night,  in  which  there  is  neither  distinct  be- 
ginning, nor  order,  nor  end.  As  the  nature  of  a  man's  dreams, 
then,  indicates  the  nature  and  variety  of  his  daily  employments- 
and  solicitudes;  so  the  voice  of  a  worshipper  may  be  icnown  to  be 
a  fools's  voice,  and  his  mind  consequently  a  fool's  mind,  by  "  mul- 
titude of  words."  He  talks  volubly,  incoherently,  loud,  and  long; 
his  mind  evidently  not  deeply  if  at  all  engaged,  but  light,  and 
frivolous,  and  confused; — tongue  without  understanding;  lan- 
guage without  feeling ;  the  unconnected  utterance  of  unconnected 
thoughts;  the  "swelling  words  of  vanity;"  the  inane  expression 
of  inward  vacancy  and  heedless  presumption.  Such  wordy  and 
frothy  addresses  to  God  manifest  the  mind  of  a  fool,  and  from  the 
mind  of  a  fool  we  should  expect  them,  as  we  expect  the  dream  of 
the  night  to  correspond  with  the  multitudinous  businesses  of  the. 
day. 

Although  this  and  the  preceding  verses  may  with  propriety  be 
applied,  in  the  general  spirit  of  them,  to  all  descriptions  of  wor- 
ship ;  those  which  follow,  as  they  are  evidently  a  continuation  of 
the  same  subject,  show  the  principal  reference,  throughout  the 
passage,  to  be  to  rash  vows: — 

Verses  4,  5.  When  thou  vowest  a  vow  unto  God,  defer  not  to  pay 
it;  for  he  hath  no  'pleasure  in  fools:  pay  that  ivhich  thou  hast  vowed. 
Better  is  it  that  thou  shouldst  not  voiv,  than  that  thou  shouldst  vote  and 
not  pay. 

A  vow  was  a  solemn  promise  or  engagement,  voluntarily  come 


m 


EOCLESIASTES  V.  1-7.  141 

under  to  God,  (usually  accompanied  with  an  oath  or  imprecation, 
either  formally  expressed,  or  tacitly  understood,)  of  some  sacrifice 
to  be  offered,  some  portion  of  worldly  substance  to  be  devoted,  or 
some  other  service  to  be  performed.  Such  vows  it  was  the  duty 
of  him  who  made  them,  conscientiously,  promptly,  and  cheer- 
fully to  fulfill : — "  Pay  that  which  thou  hast  vowed,"  and  "  defer 
not  to  pay  it."  "If  a  man  vow  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  or  swear 
an  oath  to  bind  his  soul  with  a  bond ;  he  shall  not  break  his  word, 
he  shall  do  according  to  all  that  proceedeth  out  of  his  mouth." 
'^  When  thou  shalt  vow  a  vow  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  thou  shalt 
not  slack  to  pay  it;  for  the  Lord  thy  God  will  surely  require  it 
of  thee,  and  it  would  be  sin  in  thee.  But  if  thou  shalt  forbear  to 
vow,  it  shall  be  no  sin  in  thee.  That  which  is  gone  out  of  thy 
lips  thou  shalt  keep  and  perform;  even  a  free-will  oifering,  ac- 
cording as  thou  hast  vowed  mnto  the  Lord  thy  God,  which  thou 
hast  promised  with  thy  mouth."  "Vow,  and  pay,  unto  the  Lord 
your  God."  Numb.  xxx.  2.  Deut.  xxiii.  21-23.  Psalm  Ixxvi.  11. 
The  expression,  "Defer  not  to  pay  it,"  signifies  not  merely,  be 
.sure  to  pay  it;  but  pay  it  with  promptitude  and  cheerfulness, 
indicated  by  punctuality. — "For  he  hath  no  pleasure  in  fools." 
A  fool's  voiv  is  much  the  same  as  a  fool's  j^^'^^^y^^'f  a  vow  formed 
in  the  mind  and  uttered  by  the  lips,  rashly,  without  consideration, 
without  the  heart,  without  a  serious  resolution,  or  an  honest  and 
-deliberate  purpose,  to  fulfil  it.  The  God  to  whom  the  vow  is 
made  cannot  be  deceived ;  and  he  condemns  the  levity  and  detests 
the  deceitfulness  of  heart,  by  which  the  vow  of  a  fool  is  dictated. 
He  will  not  be  mocked;  nor  will  he  deign  to  accept  the  person 
or  the  Worship  of  the  man  who  thus  plays  the  hypocrite;  who  thus 
takes  back  his  M'ord,  uttered  to  the  God  of  truth,  and  insults  and 
provokes  the  Majesty  of  heaven.  The  mode  of  expression  may 
be  illustrated  from  the  striking  language  of  Jehovah  to  Israel, 
by  the  prophet  Malachi: — "A  son  honoreth  his  father,  and  a  ser- 
vant his  master:  if  I  then  be  a  father,  where  is  my  honor?  and 
if  I  be  a  master,  where  is  my  fear?  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  unto 
you,  O  priests,  that  despise  my  name.  And  ye  say.  Wherein 
have  we  despised  thy  name?  Ye  offer  polluted  bread  upon  mine 
altar:  and  ye  say.  Wherein  have  we  polluted  thee?  In  that  ye 
say,  the  table  of  the  Lord  is  contemptible.  And  if  ye  offer  the 
blind  for  sacrifice,  is  it  not  evil?  and  if  ye  offer  the  lame  and  sick, 


142  LECTURE  VIII. 

is  it  not  evil?  Offer  it  now  to  thy  governor:  will  he  be  pleased 
with  thee,  or  accept  thine  offering?  And  ye  brought  that  which 
was  torn,  and  the  lame,  and  the  sick:  thus  ye  brought  an  offering:- 
should  I  accept  this  of  your  hand?  saith  the  Lord.  But  cursed 
be  the  deceiver,  that  hath  in  his  flock  a  male,  and  voweth,  and 
sacrificcth  unto  the  Lord  a  corrupt  thing :  for  I  am  a  great  King, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  my  name  is  dreadful  among  the 
lieathen."  Mai.  i.  6-8,  13,  14.  As  God  is  displeased  with  the 
deceiver  who  thus,  repenting  of  his  vow,  and  grudging  the  pay- 
ment of  it,  puts  off  the  God  of  heaven  with  a  corrupt  and  worth- 
less offering ;  so  is  he  displeased  with  the  man  Avho  draws  back 
altogether,  who  pays  not  what  he  has  vowed  at  all. 

"Pay,"  then,  "that  which  thou  hast  vowed;"  for;— "Better  is, 
it  that  thou  shouldst  not  vow,  than  that  thou  shouldst  vow,  and 
not  pay."  Vows  were  voluntary :  and,  as  is  plainly  intimated  in 
one  of  the  passages  quoted  from  the  Old  Testament,  sin  was  not 
contracted  by  refraining  to  vow,  but  only  by  the  non-performance, 
of  vows  when  they  had  been  made.  It  is  taken  for  granted,  that 
vows  which  are  binding,  and  which  it  is  a  man's  duty  to  fulfill,, 
must,  in  their  subject,  or  in  that  to  which  he  obliges  himself,  be 
consistent  with  the  moral  obligations  of  the  Divine  law.  No  vow 
could  render  that  a  duty,  which  was  in  its  nature  morally  wrong,, 
or  which  involved,  in  the  performance  of  it,  a  violation  of  any 
express  precept  or  ordinance  of  God.  To  vow  to  the  Lord  what 
was  contrary  to  his  will,  could  never  bring  a  man  under  obliga- 
tion to  fulfillment;  else  his  vow  would  have  obliged  him  to  sin> 
When  any  thing  vowed  w^as  subsequently  discovered  to  be  contrary 
to  the  will  of  God,  it  must  have  ceased  to  bind  the  soul :  and  the 
vow  itself  required  to  be  repented  of,  as  one  that  had  been  made 
in  inconsideration  and  without  knowledge;  and  might,  perhaps,, 
be  classed  with  those  sins  of  ignorance,  for  which  appropriate 
atonements  were  appointed.  "It  is  a  snare,  to  the  man,"  says  So- 
lomon elsewhere,  Prov.  xx.  25,  "  who  devoureth  that  which  is 
holy,  and  after  vows  to  make  inquiry."  "  That  which  is  holy," 
probably  means  that  which  by  his  vow  has  become  holy,  having 
been  consecrated  or  devoted  to  God,  and  to  holy  uses.  He  who^ 
"devoureth"  this  part  of  his  substance,  and  "after  vows  makes 
inquiry,"  with  the  view,  as  is  evidently  meant,  of  eluding  per- 
formance, and,  on  some  plausible  pretext,  retaining  his  devoted 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  1-7.  143 

property;  the  bullock  of  his  herd,  or  the  lamb  of  his  fold,  or  the 
fruits  of  his  ground,  or  whatever  else  it  might  be;  for  his  own 
use; — that  man  is  ensnared  by  temptation, — the  temptation  of 
selfish  and  covetous  impiety, — and  sins  against  God.  The  "  in- 
quiry"  and  deliberation,  both  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  vow  itself, 
and  the  disposition  and  ability  to  fulfill  it,  ought  to  have  preceded 
and  not  to  follow  the  making  of  it.  But  if  the  matter  of  the  vow 
\\'as  morally  wrong,  it  could  not  by  the  vow  be  rendered  right. 
It  could  never  be  right  to  do  what  it  was  morally  wrong  to  vow 
to  do. 

By  making  vows  rashly,  men  entered  into  temptation  to  this 
sin  of  "  making  inquiry."  They  were  in  danger  of  regretting  their 
precipitation,  and  seeking  after  excuses  for  not  fiilfilling  their  en- 
gagements.    It  is,  therefore,  added  in  the  sixth  verse : — 

Verse  6.  ^^uffer  not  thy  mouth  to  cause  thy  flesh  to  sin;  neither  say 
thou  before  the  angel  that  it  teas  an  error:  wherefore  should  God  be 
angry  at  thy  voice,  and  destroy  the  jvork  of  thy  hands  f 

By  uttering  rash  vows,  the  mouth  caused  the  flesh  to  sin.  "Thy 
flesh "  is  a  very  unusual  expression,  if  Ave  understand  it  to  mean 
no  more  than  thyself.  All  flesh,  indeed,  is  a  common  phrase  for 
all  men,  or  mankind;  but  thy  flesh  for  thyself  is  quite  unexampled. 
The  probability,  therefore,  is,  that  the  phrase  here,  as  in  some  other 
parts  of  Scripture,  signifies  corrupt  nature;  by  the  evil  principles 
of  which  it  is,  that  men  are  tempted  to  elude  the  performance  of 
their  vows.  When  a  person  made  such  engagements  rashly,  he 
laid  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  his  corruptions,  and  became 
his  own  tempter  to  the  commission  of  sin. 

"  Neither  say  thou  before  the  angel,  that  it  was  an  error."  I 
am  satisfied,  that  by  "the  angel"  we  are  here  to  understand  the 
priest.  "The  priest's  lips,"  says  God  by  Malachi,  "should  keep 
knowledge,  and  they  should  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth :  for  he  is 
the  messenger  (angel)  of  the  Lord  of  hosts."  Mai.  ii.  7.  The  case 
which  is  supposed  makes  this  sufficiently  clear.  The  priest,  in 
liis  official  capacity,  stood  and  acted  to  the  people  in  God's  stead, 
receiving  in  his  behalf  their  vows  and  free-will  offerings,  and  dis- 
charging from  the  obligation  of  them,  when  there  was  sufficient 
legal  ground  for  such  discharge.  There  were  appropriate  offerings 
prescribed  for  sins  of  ignorance:  and  amongst  the  rest,  for  vows 
to  do  evil,  or  to  do  good,  in  certain  circumstances: — "If  a  sou} 


144  LECTURE  VIII. 

swear,  pron,ouncing  with  his  lips  to  do  evil  or  to  do  good,  what- 
soever it  be  that  a  man  shall  pronounce  with  an  oath,  and  it  be 
hid  from  him;  when  he  knoweth  of  it,  then  he  shall  be  guilty  in 
one  of  these.  And  it  shall  be,  when  he  shall  be  guilty  in  one  of 
these  things,  that  he  shall  confess  that  he  hath  sinned  in  that  thing; 
and  he  shall  bring  his  trespass  offering  unto  the  Lord  for  his  sin 
which  he  had  sinned."  Lev.  v.  4-6.  The  offering  was  to  be,  ac- 
cording to  the  person's  circumstances,  a  lamb,  or  a  kid  of  the 
goats,  two  turtle-doves,  or  two  young  pigeons,  or  the  tenth  part 
of  an  ephah  of  fine  flour.  Now,  the  case  supposed  and  cautioned 
against  in  the  j)assage  before  us,  is  the  case  of  a  man,  who,  in  order 
to  elude  the  performance  of  a  vow  he  has  made,  comes  to  the  priest, 
pretending  that  it  was  "an  error,"  or  a  mistake ;  a  thing  done  rashly, 
and  wathout  consideration  of  its  nature  and  consequences;  a  vow 
which  it  would,  as  he  has  since  discovered,  be  improper  for  him  to 
fulfill;  a  sin  of  ignorance;  and  who,  making  this  confession,  presents, 
or  proposes  to  present,  the  appointed  offering.  This  view  of  the 
case  imparts  peculiar  force  to  the  words  which  follow:  "Where- 
fore should  God  be  angry  at  thy  voice,  and  destroy  the  work  of 
thy  hands  ?"  Such  hypocritical  mockery  of  God  would  expose  him 
to  his  merited  displeasure.  Thus  insulted,  he  would  be  provoked 
to  frown  upon  him : — and,  whilst  the  foolish  deceiver  might  be 
"blessing  himself  in  his  heart"  that  he  had  succeeded  so  well  in 
keeping  possession  of  the  substance  which  he  had  alienated  by  his 
vow,  the  curse  of  offended  Heaven  might  not  only  blast  what  he 
had  feloniously  kept,  but  come  down  upon  all  that  he  had ;  pre- 
venting his  prosperity;  imbittering  his  sweets;  blighting  his  pros- 
pects; and  "destroying  the  work  of  his  hands."  This  is  just  the 
opposite  of  the  promise  annexed  to  the  duty  of  faithful  liberality 
in  the  service  of  God: — "Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and 
with  the  first-fruits  of  all  thine  increase;  so  shall  thy  barns  be 
filled  with  plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall  burst  out  with  new  wine." 
Prov.  iii.  9,  10.  And  the  displeasure,  with  its  efiects,  which  So- 
lomon here  supposes,  God  actually  threatened  of  old  by  his  pro- 
phets, against  such  as  dealt  unfaithfully  in  his  service.  "If  ye 
will  not  hear,  and  if  ye  will  not  lay  it  to  heart,  to  give  glory  unto 
my  name,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  I  will  even  send  a  curse  upon 
you,  and  I  will  curse  your  blessings :  yea,  I  have  cursed  them  al- 
ready, because  ye  do  not  lay  it  to  heart."  Mai.  ii.  2.     "Thus  saith 


ECC1>ES1ASTE,S  V.  1-7.  145 

the  Lord  of  hosts,  Consider  your  ways.  (tO  uj)  to  the  iiioiiiitain, 
and  bring  wood,  and  baikl  tlie  house;  and  I  Avill  take  pk^asure  in 
it,  and  I  will  be  glorified,  saith  the  Lord.  Ye  looked  lor  mueh, 
and,  lo,  it  eame  to  little;  and  when  ye  brought  it  home,  1  did 
blow  upon  it.  Why?  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Beeause  of  mine 
house  that  is  waste,  and  ye  run  every  man  unto  his  own  house. 
Therefore  the  heaven  over  you  is  stayed  from  dew,  and  the  earth 
is  stayed  from  her  fruit.  And  I  called  for  a  drought  upon  the 
land,  and  upon  the  mountains,  and  upon  the  corn,  and  upon  the 
new  wine,  and  upon  the  oil,  and  upon  that  which  the  ground 
bringeth  forth,  and  upon  men,  and  upon  cattle,  and  u})on  all  the 
labor  of  the  hands."  Hag.  i.  7-11.  "And  now,  I  pray  you,  con- 
sider from  this  day  and  upward,  from  before  a  stone  was  laid  upon 
a  stone  in  the  temple  of  the  Lord;  since  those  days  were,  when 
one  came  to  a  heap  of  twenty  measures,  there  were  but  ten :  w^hen 
one  came  to  the  press-fat  to  draw  out  fifty  vessels  out  of  the  press, 
there  were  but  twenty.  I  smote  you  with  blasting,  and  with  mil- 
dew, and  with  hail,  in  all  the  labors  of  your  hands;  yet  ye  turned 
not  to  me,  saith  the  Lord.  Consider  now  from  this  day  and  up- 
ward, from  the  four  and  twentieth  day  of  the  ninth  month,  even 
from  the  day  that  the  foundation  of  the  Lord's  temple  was  laid, 
consider  it.  Is  the  seed  yet  in  the  barn?  yea,  as  yet  the  vine,  and 
the  fig-tree,  and  the  pomegranate,  and  the  olive-tree,  hath  not 
brought  forth-:  from  this  day  will  I  bless  you."   Ibid.  ii.  15-19. 

Verse  7.  For  in  the  multitude  of  dreams,  and  manij  icords,  there 
are  also  divers  vanities:  hut  fear  thou  God. 

Here  also,  I  think,  there  is  still  comparison.  As  there  are 
vanities  in  the  multitude  of  dreams,  so  are  there  in  the  multitude 
of  words.  When  a  man  talks  much  without  deliberation,  utter- 
ing his  thoughts  as  they  arise,  under  the  impulse  of  present  and 
hasty  feeling,  crude  and  indigested,  and  never-ending,  it  is  im- 
possible but  that  a  great  deal  of  sin  and  folly  must  intermingle 
with  his  Avords.  It  is  rare  indeed,  that  "a  man  full  of  talk"  can 
at  all  times  be  "justified."  He  can  hardly  fail  to  utter  "divers 
vanities;"  and  it  will  be  well,  if  his  words  are  not  frequently  worse 
than  idle. 

The  remedy  for  all  the  evils  against  which  the  wise  man  directs 
his  admonitions,  is  contained  in  the  last  clause  of  this  verse: — 
"But  fear  thou  God."  The  reverential  fear  of  the  Most  High, 
10  • 


14G  LECTURE  vrii. 

habitually  influencing  the  mind  and  heart,  will  prevent  a  man 
from  being' "rash  with  his  mouth;"  from  being  "hasty  to  utter 
any  thing  before  him ;"  and  especially  from  making  inconsiderate 
vows,  and  afterwards,  with  profane  duplicity  of  spirit,  seeking 
excuses  for  not  fulfilling  them.  "Sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your 
hearts;  and  let  him  be  your  fear,  and  let  him  be  your  dread."  Let 
others  act  the  part  of  "  fools  who  make  a  mock  at  sin ;"  but  "  be 
thou  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  all  the  day  long."  Ever  "  fear  that 
glorious  and  fearful  name,  the  Lord  thy  God!" 

Of  such  vows  as  were  permitted  and  common  under  the  Old 
Dispensation,  we  have  no  recorded  a  nd  approved  examples  under 
the  New;  nor  are  any  directions  given  us,  for  the  making  or  the 
performance  of  them.  Resolutions,  in  the  strength  of  Divine 
grace,  to  serve  the  Lord,  to  cleave  to  him,  and  to  his  word,  and 
to  his  ways,  we  may,  with  propriety,  form  and  express.  Of  this 
nature,  indeed,  is  the  language  of  God's  people,  in  their  addresses 
to  himself,  every  day ;  and  always  has  been,  and  always  mur,t  be. 
' '  I  will  go,  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God."  But  for  the  "  bind- 
ing  of  the  soul"  by  special  obligations,  such  as  imprecatory  oaths, 
whether  verbal  or  written ;  for  bringing  ourselves  under  a  bond 
superadded  to  the  sanction  of  the  Divine  command,  I  am  not  sure 
that  we  have  any  warrant,  either  from  the  conduct  or  the  writings 
of  the  apostles  of  Christ.  Paul's  vows,  recorded  in  the  eighteenth 
and  twenty-first  chapters  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  others 
of  a  like  nature,  belonged  to  the  Old  Dispensation;  which  had 
then  only  "waxed  old,  and  was  ready  to  vanish  away;"  and,  al- 
though virtually  abolished  by  the  death  of  Christ,  was  not  yet,  in 
practice,  finally  set  aside. 

Vows  have  been  a  snare  to  the  consciences  of  many ;  especially 
of  the  weak,  who  have  often  been  more  afraid  of  transgressing 
because  God's  voics,  they  say,  are  upon  them,  than  on  account  of  the 
simple  and  immediate  obligation  of  Divine  authority.  They  are 
very  apt,  too,  as  every  thing  must  be  that  is  of  our  own  devising, 
when  they  do  not  produce  a  spirit  of  bondage  and  fear,  to  engen- 
der the  opposite  one  of  self-righteous  confidence  and  presumption. 
Vows  of  celibacy  and  pilgrimage;  vows  of  devoting  money,  houses, 
and  lands,  to  pious  uses ;  vows  at  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper, 
at  admission  to  church-fellowship,  and  at  ministerial  ordination ; 
and  the  oaths  of  personal  and  national  covenanting,  although  some 


ECCI.E8IASTES  V.  1-7.  147 

of  them  are  more  objectionable  than  others,  appear  alike  destitute 
of  New  Testament  warrant.  When  the  word  voir  is  used,  as  it  fre- 
quently is,  synonymously,  or  nearly  so,  with  the  Avord  resolution,  it 
were  idle  to  quarrel  with  a  mere  term.  It  is  our  duty,  however,  to 
beware  of  ensnaring  our  souls  by  self-invented  and  self-imposed 
obligations,  and  of  every  such  addition  to  his  will  as  might  draw 
upon  us  the  reproof,  "AVho  hath  required  this  at  your  hands ?"=*= 

But  although  the  New  Testament  is  silent  on  the  subject  of 
vowing,  yet  the  passage  we  have  been  ^evie^ying  is  far  from  being 
barren  of  practical  instruction  to  us  in  these  latter  days. 

1.  In  the  first  place;  Let  all  our  religious  services,  and  particu- 
larly (for  this  is  the  subject  before  us)  the  services  of  the  house  of 
God,  be  performed  by  us,  sincerely,  considerately,  and  reverentially. 
Sincerely; — for  the  first  and  most  indispensable  requisite  to  all  ac- 
ceptable worship  is,  that  the  "heart  be  right  with  God."  "My 
son,  give  me  thy  heart."  All  is  worthless  without  this.  Con- 
siderately:— all  should  be  the  dictate  of  an  enlightened  understand- 
ing and  a  maturely  reflecting  mind.  We  should  think  well  what 
we  are  doing,  when  we  engage  in  the  different  exercises  of  Divine 

*  We  feel  constrained,  though  reluctantly,  to  differ  from  these  sentiments 
of  the  esteemed  author,  respecting  the  lawfulness  and  the  duty  of  vowing, 
under  the  New  Testament  dispensation.  We  cannot  see  that  there  was  any 
thing  peculiar  to  the  Old  Testament  dispensation  in  the  nature  of  vowing. 
The  author  would  not  deny  it  to  be  a  Christian  duty  to  take  an  oath  on  ade- 
quate occasion ;  and  if  so,  why  not  a  vow?  The  Westminster  Divines  differed 
from  our  author  in  regard  to  the  divine  warrant  for  vowing  under  the  Gos- 
pel. They  say,  (Confession  of  Faith,  Ch.  22,  Sections  5,  6),— "A  vow  is  of  the 
like  nature  with  a  promissory  oath,  and  ought  to  be  made  with  the  like  re- 
ligious care,  and  to  be  performed  with  the  like  faithfulness.  It  *  *  is  to  be 
made  to  God  alone;  and  *  *  out  oi  faith  and  conscience  of  duty,  in  the  way 
of  thankfulness  for  mercy  received,  or  for  the  obtaining  of  what  we  want; 
whereby  we  more  sfrictlg  bind  ourselves  to  necessary  duties." 

Besides,  many  of  the  commands  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  to  "vow," 
and  of  the  Prophecies,  also,  respecting  the  performance  of  that  exercise,  have 
an  evident  reference  to  Gospel  times;  e.  g.  Psalm  76:  11;  50:  14;  Isa.  19:  21. 
"Covenants,"  or  solemn  engagements  to  God  and  to  each  other,  by  the  ser- 
vants of  God,  are  sustained,  we  think,  not  only  as  lawful,  but  as,  under  cer- 
tain providential  circumstances,  an  incumbent  "duty,  on  the  part  of  Christians, 
by  the  word  of  God.  This  practice  has  been  frequently  followed  in  trying 
times  by  the  churches  of  Christ,  especially  since  the  Reformation,  not  only 
with  a  clear  divine  warrant,  as  we  conceive,  but  with  the  manifest  spiritua'l 
blessing  of  God  coming  down  on  the  souls  of  his  servants,  and  on  those 
churches  which  have  engaged  in  and  have  been  faithful  to  their  covenants. 
Who  can  estimate  how  much  we  are  indebted  to  the  Scottish  Covenanters 
and  their  covenants,  for  the  civil  and  religious  principles  and  liberties  now 
enjoyed  by  us— the  blessed  fruits  of  the  "Covenanted  Pveformation?"— 

Editor. 


148  T^ECTURI-:  VIII. 

worship.     We  f«liould  consider,  with  deliberate  seriousness,  the 
character  of  the  Being  to  whom  Ave  approach ;  "  believing  that  he 
is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  all  them  that  diligently  seek  him :" — 
we  should  have  an  enlightened  conception  of  the  nature  of  our 
duties,  in  praise  and  prayer,  in  speaking  and  hearing  the  word  of 
(jrod,  in  showing  forth  the  Lord's  death,  in  administering  to  the 
wants  of  our  poor  brethren,  and  in  occasionally  attending  to  the 
ordinance  of  baptism.     All  these  services  should  be  done  with  the 
understanding,  as  well  as  Avith  the  heart.     The  latter  Avithout  the 
former  is  enthusiasm.     All  the  a'ffections,  as  Avell  as  zeal,  must  be 
"according  to  kuoAvledge."     "Did  not  our  heart  burn  Avithin  us, 
Avhile  he  talked  Avith  us  by  the  Avay,  and  Avhile  he  opened  to  us 
the  Scriptures?"     This  union  of  the  understanding  and  the  heart 
Avill  insure  our  worshipping  ret'erentiaUy.     There  is  no  peculiar 
sacredness  in  any  place  now,  as  there  AA'as  in  the  temple  of  old : 
but  the  exercises  of  the  Avorship  of  God  are  themselves  sacred,  and 
ought  to  be  solemn,  in  AvhatcA'er  place  performed.   "  Wherefore  Ave, 
receiving  a  kingdom  Avhich  cannot  be  moved,  let  us  hold  fast  the 
grace,  whereby  Ave  may  serve  God  acceptably,  with  reverence  and 
godly  fear. ^^     In  fulfillment  of  this  duty,  let  there  be  punctuality 
in  the  time  of  your  coming  to  the  house  of  God,  and  devotion  of 
spirit,  and  graA^ty  of  demeanor,  Avhile  you  are  in  it.     He,  surely, 
obeys  not  the  injunction  "keep  thy  foot  Avhen  thou  goest  to  the 
house  of  God,"  Avho  is  careless  about  being  there  in  due  time;  AA'ho 
is  detained  by  every  trifle,  and  sometimes  by  nothing  but  mere 
thoughtlessness,  and  can  thus  miss,  Avith  apparently  no  regret, 
some  part  of  the  Avorship,  the  first  hymn  of  praise,  the  reading  of 
Scriptures,  or  the  opening  prayer.     The  conduct  of  those  Avho  are 
in  the  habit  of  coming  in  late  is  se\'erely  reprehensible,  as  a  dis- 
turbance of  the  Avorship,  and  a  distraction  of  the  attention  of  others. 
The  decency  and   soleinnity  becoming  the  sanctuary  of  God  re- 
i[uire,  that  all  the  Avorshippers  should  be  in  their  places,  and  all 
settled  and  still,  at  the  commencement  of  the  ser\'ice,  that  they 
may  begin  and  end  together.     The  subject  also  holds  out  a  reproof 
to  the  listless,  Avhose  attention,  even  in  the  most  solemn  parts  of 
worship,  is  distracted  by  the  merest  trifles,  and  who  stare  about 
them,  Avith  absent  minds,  in  idle  A^acancy;  to  those  Avho,  instead 
of  striving  against  the  encroachments  of  droAVsiness,  nod  Avithout 
restraint  in  their  ])eAvs,  or  lay  doAvn  their  heads  Avith  perfect  com- 


ECCLESIASTES   V.  1-7.  1  41» 

posure  to  a  comfortal)le  nap;  and  to  those,  who  by  kmd  and  un- 
suppressed  coughing;,  and  sneezing,  and  by  other  noises,  whicli 
they  are  at  no  pains  to  ayoid,  disturb,  without  any  plea  of  ne- 
cessity, the  stillness  and  solemnity  of  the  worship.  Alas!  my 
brethren,  we  have  enough  within  us,  every  one  in  his  own  bosom, 
to  tempt  to  the  evil  of  "  drawing  nigh  to  God  with  our  lips,  and 
honoring  him  with  our  mouths  whilst  our  hearts  are  far  from 
him;"  we  need  no  extraneous  enticements,  no  temptations  from 
one  another. 

2.  Secondly;  Let  us  be  always  prompt  in  fulfilling  our  solemn 
engagements  to  God.  Although  not  under  self-invented  and  self- 
imposed  vows,  we  yet  have  "given  ourselves  to  the  Ijord."  AVe 
are  under  the  deepest  and  most  sacred  obligations,  and  have  avowed 
that  we  feel  them;  the  obligations  arising  from  Divine  authority, 
and  from  Divine  goodness  and  grace.  "  I  beseech  you,  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  (your 
whole  persons)  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which 
is  your  reasonable  service."  "  Ye  are  not  your  own ;  for  ye  are 
bought  with  a  price :  therefore,  glorify  God  in  your  body,  and  in 
your  spirit,  which  are  God's."  Rom.  xii.  1.  1  Cor.  vi.  19,  20.  If 
we  feel  these  obligations  aright,  all  our  obedience  will  be  charac- 
terized hj  j^romptiimU:  "I  thought  on  my  ways,  and  turned  my 
feet  unto  thy  testimonies:  I  made  haste,  and  delayed  not,  to  keej) 
thy  commandments."  Psalm  cxix.  59,  60.  Every  part  of  our 
service  to  God  should  be  thus  prompt  and  cheerful ;  yielded  "with 
a  ready  mind,"  "  not  grudgingly  or  of  necessity."  In  particular, 
we  are  under  obligation,  though  not  by  special  vow,  to  "honor  the 
Lord  with  our  substance,  and  with  the  first-fruits  of  all  our  in- 
crease." It  will  be  a  comfortable  reflection,  should  God,  in  his 
providence,  be  pleased  to  deprive  us  of  the  means  of  thus  honoring 
him,  that  we  did  not,  while  in  possession  of  them,  shut  our  heart 
and  hand  against  his  paramount  claims,  and  withhold  from  Him 
his  due ;  that  it  is  not  on  this  account,  but  in  the  exercise  of  that 
love  that  chastens  for  the  profit  of  his  children,  that  he  "  destroys 
the  work  of  our  hands." 

3.  Thirdly;  Let  all  the  professed  people  of  God  examine  them- 
selves, lest  they  should  have  "a  name  to  live  while  they  are  dead;" 
a  "form  of  godliness  while  they  deny  its  power."  "Remember 
what  was  already  stated,  and  what  I  repeat  and  urge  upon  your 


150  LECTURE   viri. 

attention,  because  of  its  essential  importance,  that  if  your  hearts 
are  not  given  to  God,  but  still  set  on  the  world,  no  external  ser- 
vices, though  attended  to  with  the  most  punctilious  exactness,  can 
ever  be  pleasing  in  his  sight.  They  are  the  "  sacrifices  of  fools," 
and  shall  profit  you  nothing;  and  if  "/o;-  a  pretence  you  make  long 
prayers,  you  shall  only  receive  the  greater  damnation."  "  Let  the 
sinners  in  Zion  be  afraid ;  let  fearfulness  surprise  the  hypocrites." 
Lastly.  Let  all  consider,  on  wJiat  ground  they  draw  near  to  God, 
in  the  exercises  either  of  private  or  public  worship.  This  is  a 
most  essential  point  for  deliberation.  There  is  but  one  way  of  ac- 
cess; one  plea;  one  ground  of  acceptable  homage.  ''Through 
him"  (Christ  Jesus)  "we  both"  (Jews  and  Gentiles)  "have  access, 
by  one  Spirit,  unto  the  Father."  "  Having,  therefore,  brethren, 
boldness  to  enter  into  the  Holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus;  by 
a  new  and  living  way  which  he  hath  consecrated  for  us  through 
the  vail,  that  is  to  say,  his  flesh;  and  having  a  High  Priest  over 
the  House  of  God :  let  us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart,  in  full  as- 
surance of  faith,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  con- 
science, and  our  bodies  washed  wdth  pure  Avater."  Eph.  ii.  18. 
Heb.  x.  19-22.  All  our  services,  then,  must  be  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  They  must  be  "  spiritual  sacrifices,"  and  they  are  "  accepta- 
ble to  God  BY  Jesus  Christ."  This  implies  faith  in  Jesus,  on 
the  part  of  the  worshipper;  and  without  this  faith  it  is,  therefore, 
impossible  for  you  to  please  him.  This  always  teas  the  way  of 
acceptance  of  the  persons  and  services  of  sinners ;  although  it  was 
not  of  old  so  fully  and  clearly  revealed.  It  is  the  w^ay  still ;  and 
every  approach  to  God,  except  through  the  mediation  of  the  blessed 
and  only  Redeemer,  is  an  act  of  unhallowed  presumption.  And, 
on  the  same  ground  on  which  we  are  accepted  in  our  worship  here, 
must  we  stand  before  the  Divine  tribunal  in  the  great  day.  In 
the  "House  of  God"  above,  solemn  worship  is  for  ever  addressed 
by  the  holy  and  happy  inhabitants,  "  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb."  There,  there  is  no  "sacrifice  of 
f(X)ls."  Every  mind  and  every  heart  are  engaged,  in  the  perfection 
of  knowledge,  and  purity,  and  love,  and  joy.  "  God  is  in  heaven," 
says  Solomon,  "and  thou  upon  earth;  therefore  let  thy  words  be 
few."  But  though  all  shall  then  be  advanced  to  heaven,  even  in 
the  intimax^y  of  the  upper  sanctuary  the  distance  between  the  crea- 
ture and  the  Creator  shall  be  felt  as  it  never  was  felt  before;  and 


ECCLKSIASTES  V.   1-7.  151 

holy  reverence  shall  characterize  the  worship  of  heaven  infinitely 
more  than  it  now  does  that  of  earth ; — holy  reverence,  in  delight- 
ful association  with  the  perfection  of  that  love  which  **  casteth  out 
fear."  "After  this  I  beheld,  and,  lo,  a  great  multitude,  which  no 
man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and  peoples,  and 
tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed 
with  w4iite  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands ;  and  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne, 
and  unto  the  Lamb!  And  all  the  angels  stood  round  about  the 
throne,  and  about  the  elders  and  the  four  living  creatures,  and 
fell  before  the  throne  on  their  faces,  and  worshipped  God,  saying. 
Amen:  Blessing,  and  glory,  and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and 
honor,  and  power,  and  might,  be  unto  our  God  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen.  And  one  of  the  elders  answered,  saying  unto  me,  What 
are  these  who  are  arrayed  in  white  robes?  and  whence  came  they? 
And  I  said  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  knowest.  And  he  said  to  me, 
These  are  they  who  came  out  of  great  tribulation,  and  have  washed 
their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb:  there- 
fore are  they  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serve  him  day  and 
night  in  his  temple :  and  He  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell 
among  them.  They  shall  hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any 
more;  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  them,  nor  any  heat:  for  the 
Lamb,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne,  shall  feed  them,  and 
shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters:  and  God  shall 
wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."  Rev.  vii.  9-17. 


LECTURE    IX. 


,  ECCLESIASTES  V.  8-20. 

■"If  thou  iseest  the  oppression  of  the  ])Oor,  and  violent  perverting  of  judgment 
and  justice  in  a  province,  marvel  not  at  the  matter:  for  (he  that  is)  higher 
than  the  highest  regardeth;  and  (there  be)  higher  than  they.  9.  More- 
over the  profit  of  the  earth  is  for  all:  the  king  (himself)  is  served  by  the 
field.  10.  He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver;  nor  he 
that  loveth  abundance  with  increase.  This  (is)  also  vanity.  11.  When 
goods  increase,  they  are  increased  that  eat  them:  and  what  good  (is  there) 
to  the  owners  thereof,  saving  the  beholding  (of  them)  with  their  eyes? 
12.  The  sleep  of  a  laboring  man  (is)  sweet,  whether  he  eat  little  or  much : 
but  the  abundance  of  the  rich  will  not  suffer  him  to  sleep.  13.  There  is 
a  sore  evil  (which)  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  (namely,)  riches  kept  for 
the  owners  thereof  to  their  hurt.  14.  But  those  riches  perish  by  evil  tra- 
vail; and  he  begetteth  a  son,  and  (there  is)  nothing  in  his  hand.  15.  As 
he  came  forth  of  his  mother's  womb,  naked  shall  he  return  to  go  as  he 
came,  and  shall  take  nothing  of  his  labor,  which  he  may  carry  away  in 
his  hand.  1(3.  And  this  also  (is)  a  sore  evil,  (that)  in  all  points  as  he  came, 
so  shall  he  go:  and  what  profit  hath  he  that  hath  labored  for  the  wind? 
17.  All  his  days  also  he  eateth  in  darkness,  and  (he  hath)  much  sorrow 
and  wrath  with  his  sickness.  18.  Behold  (that)  which  I  have  seen:  (it  is) 
good  and  comely  (for  one)  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  to  enjoy  the  good  of 
all  his  labor  that  he  taketh  under  the  sun  all  the  days  of  his  life,  which 
God  giveth  him ;  for  it  (is)  his  portion.  19.  Every  man  also  to  whom  Clod 
hath  given  riches  and  wealth,  and  hath  given  him  power  to  eat  thereof, 
and  to  take  his  portion,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  labor;  this  (is)  the  gift  of 
God.  20.  For  he  shall  not  much  remember  the  days  of  his  life ;  because 
God  answereth  (him)  in  the  joy  of  his  heart." 

Ix  such  a  book  as  this,  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  a 
close  and  inimediatelj  perceptible  connection  between  its  different 
parts.  The  writer  should  be  considered  as  taking  a  survey  of 
human  life,  in  its  various  departments  and  appearances,  as  these 
presented  themselves  to  his  mind.  His  book,  therefore,  does  not 
bear,  throughout,  the  form  of  a  regular  dissertation.     He  appears 


ECCLESIASTEH  V.  8-20.  15:3 

at  times  to  start  suddenly  from  one  subject  to  another;  and  some- 
times to  resume  a  former  subject,  which  has  again  suggested  itself 
under  some  new  aspect  or  relation.  In  these  cases,  there  might 
frequently  be  an  association  in  the  mind  of  the  wi-iter,  that  not 
only  escapes  a  su])erficial  reader,  but  is  eyen  undiscernible  by  the 
most  attentive  and  judicious; — for  eyery  man  who  pays  any  at- 
tention to  the  operations  of  his  own  mind,  must  be  sensible  how 
slight  and  remote,  how  airy  and  eyanescent,  the  associations  of  his 
ideas  often  are;  so  that,  many  a  time,  he  is  himself  unable  at  all 
to  recollect  what  it  was  that  brought  the  two  thoughts  together. 

The  eighth  verse  of  this  chapter  does  not  seem  to  have  any  con- 
nection with  what  immediately  precedes,  unless  it  be  with  the  last 
words  of  the  seventh  verse, — "  but  fear  thou  God."  This  mention 
of  the  fear  of  God  might  naturally  enough  suggest  to  the  mind  of 
the  writer  the  conduct  of  some  of  the  great  men  of  the  earth,  who, 
regardless  of  their  Divine  superior,  abused  their  power,  and  kept 
their  subjects  in  peri)etual  dread.  The  fear  of  God  Avas  the  best 
corrective,  both  of  the  tyranny  of  the  oppressor,  and  of  the  fear  of 
the  oppressed.  Whether  this  was  the  link  of  connection  or  not, 
he  resumes,  here,  a  subject  on  which  he  had  more  than  once 
touched  already;  Chap.  iii.  16,  17.  iv.  1-3;  and  the  light  in  which 
it  is  taken  up,  seems  rather  to  favor  the  view  given  of  the  asso- 
ciation of  ideas  in  his  mind: — 

Verse  8.  If  thou  neest  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  and  Tiolent  per- 
verting of  judgment  and  justice  in  a  province,  marvel  not  at  the  matter: 
for  he  that  is  hie/her  than  the  highest  regardeth  ;  and  there  be  higher 
than  they. 

"Marvel  not  at  the  matter."  This  might,  indeed,  be  understood 
to  mean  that,  in  a  world  of  fallen  creatures,  and  considering  the 
depth  of  human  corruption,  there  is  little  reason  to  wonder  at 
such  perversions  of  power  and  justice: — or,  supposing  a  particular 
reference  to  the  persecution  of  the  righteous  by  the  power  of  the 
wicked,  that  this  need  not  be  matter  of  great  astonishment,  when 
the  same  considerations  are  taken  into  account,  together  with  the 
fact,  that,  so  far  from  being  a  novel  and  strange  occurrence,  it  has 
existed  from  the  beginning ;  even  since  the  days  of  Cain,  who  slew 
Abel  "because  his  own  works  were  evil,  and  his  brother's  right- 
eous." The  apostle  John  quotes  this  example  of  early  malignity, 
for  the  same  purpose  of  suppressing  wonder;  subjoining  ininiedi- 


154  3>ECTURE   IX. 

ately,  ^^  Marrd  not,  my  brethren,  if  the  world  hate  you."   1  Johns 
iii.  12,  13. 

I  am  disposed  to  think,  however,  that  neither  of  these  is  the 
true  meaning;  but  that  Solomon  alhides  to  that  description  of 
"  marvelling,"  which  involves  in  it  some  rising  hesitancy,  some 
secret,  undefined,  but  painful  and  distracting  doubts,  about  the 
superintending  providence  of  God: — that  wonder,  which  tempts 
a  person,  on  witnessing  such  scenes  of  iniquity  and  cruelty,  and 
perceiving  no  symptoms  of  vengeance  coming  down  on  the  op- 
pressor, to  say  in  his  heart,  "How  doth  God  know?  and  is  there 
knowledge  in  the  Most  High?"  "Marvel  not  at  the  matter,"  says 
the  w^ise  man;  "for  he  that  is  higher  than  the  highest  regardeth." 
You  may  be  tempted  to  question  the  knowledge,  or  even  to  doubt 
the  existence,  of  a  superintending  providence ;  but  be  assured  you 
are  mistaken:  "He  that  is  higher  than  the  highest  regardeth.'" 
"Verily  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth."  "The  Lord's 
throne  is  in  the  heavens:  his  eyes  behold,  his  eye-lids  try,  the 
children  of  men."  He  is  "  higher  than  the  highest."  He  "  whose 
name  alone  is  Jehovah,  is  the  most  high  over  all  the  earth;"  in- 
finitely elevated,  in  majesty  and  power;  above  the  greatest,  and 
mightiest,  and  proudest  of  the  potentates  of  this  world.  And  He 
'^ regardethJ'  Yes:  "the  high  and  lofty  One  who  inhabiteth 
eternity,  whose  name  is  holy,  who  dwelleth  in  the  high  and  holy 
place,"  "Fegardeth:"  not  as  an  unconcerned  spectator,  but  as  a 
righteous  governor  and  judge;  his  "eye-lids  trying,"  as  well  as 
his  "eyes  beholding."  And  often,  when  this  sentiment  is  expressed,, 
and  this  assurance  given,  it  is  in  connection  with  the  Divine  re- 
gard to  the  poor,  and  his  abhorrence  of  these  oppressors.  "He 
(the  wicked)  hath  said  in  his  heart,  God  hath  forgotten;  he  liideth 
his  face;  he  will  never  see  it.  Arise,  O  Lord;  O  God,  lift  up  thy 
hand;  forget  not  the  humble.  Wherefore  doth  the  wicked  con- 
temn God?  He  hath  said  in  his  heart.  Thou  wilt  not  require  it. 
Thou  hast  seen  it;  for  thou  beholdest  mischief  and  spite,  to  requite 
it  with  thy  hand:  the  poor  committeth  himself  unto  thee;  thou 
art  the  helper  of  the  fatherless."  "  For  the  oppression  of  the  poor, 
for  the  sighing  of  the  needy,  now  will  I  arise,  saith  the  Lord;  I 
will  set  him  in  safety  from  him  that  puifeth  at  him."  "Say  ye 
to  the  righteous,  that  it  shall  be  well  with  him ;  for  they  shall 
eat  the  fruit  of  their  doings.     Woe  unto  the  wicked;  for  it  shall 


ECOl.ESIASTES  V.  8-20.  1 55 

be  ill  witli  him;  for  the  reward  of  his  hands  shall  be  given  him. 
The  Lord  will  enter  into  judgment  with  the  ancients  of  his  people, 
and  with  the  princes  thereof:  for  ye  have  eaten  up  the  vineyard; 
the  spoil  of  the  poor  is  in  your  houses.  What  mean  ye,  that  ye  beat 
my  people  in  pieces,  and  grind  the  faces  of  the  poor?  saith  the 
Lord  God  of  hosts."  "  I  will  come  near  to  you  to  judgment;  and 
I  will  be  a  swift  witness  against  the  sorcerers,  and  against  the 
adulterers,  and  against  false  swearers,  and  against  those  that  op- 
press the  hireling  in  his  wages,  the  widow  and  the  fatherless,  and 
that  turn  aside  the  stranger  from  his  right,  and  fear  not  me,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts."  **Go  to  now,  ye  rich  men,  weep  and  howl 
for  your  miseries  that  shall  come  upon  you.  Your  riches  are 
corrupted,  and  your  garments  are  moth-eaten.  Your  gold  and 
silver  are  cankered ;  and  the  rust  of  them  shall  be  a  witness  against 
you,  and  shall  eat  your  flesh  as  it  were  fire.  Ye  have  heaped 
treasure  together  for  the  last  days.  Behold,  the  hire  of  the  labor- 
ers who  have  reaped  down  your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back 
by  fraud,  crieth :  and  the  cries  of  them  who  have  reaped  a:re  en- 
tered into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  sabaoth.  Ye  have  lived  in 
pleasure  on  the  earth,  and  been  wanton;  ye  have  nourished  your 
hearts,  as  in  a  day  of  slaughter.  Ye  have  condemned  and 
killed  the  just;  and  he  doth  not  resist  you.  Be  patient  therefore, 
])rethren,  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord.  Behold,  the  husbandman 
waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and  hath  long  patience 
for  it,  until  he  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain."  Psal.  x.  11-14. 
xii.  5.  Isa.  iii.  10,  11,  14,  15.  Mai.  iii.  5.  Jam.  v.  1-7.  Thus 
"he  that  is  higher  than  the  highest  regardeth."  His  penal  judg- 
ments may  not,  in  any  remarkable  way,  fall  upon  the  objects  of 
his  displeasure  in  this  world : — but  still  he  "regardeth:"  he  marks, 
and  he  records,  every  thought  and  word,  and  deed  of  iniquity  and 
violence,  and  will  bring  it  into  judgment.  "He  is  not  a  God  that 
delighteth  in  wickedness:  neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  him:  the 
foolish  shall  not  stand  in  his  sight ;  he  hateth  all  the  workers  of 
iniquity."  Psalm  v.  4,  5.  "  Surely  thou  didst  set  them  in  slippery 
places;  thou  castedst  them  down  into  destruction:  how  are  they 
brought  into  desolation  as  in  a  moment!  they  are  utterly  consumed 
with  terrors.  As  a  dream  when  one  awaketh,  so,  O  Lord,  when, 
thou  awakest,  thou  shalt  despise  their  image!"  Psal.  Ixxiii.  18-20. 
The  last  clause  of  this  verse,  "and  there  be  higher  than  they," 


156  LECTURE   IX. 

seems  to  be.most  uatiirally  interpreted  of  the  angelic  ministers  of 
*'Him  who  is  higher  than  the  highest;"  the  celestial  messengers 
and  agents,  by  whom  he  executes  many  of  the  plans  of  his  provi- 
dence; who  are  "greater  in  power  and  might"  than  the  very 
greatest  of  earthly  oppressors;  who,  with  the  swiftness  and  the 
enero-y  of  "flames  of  fire,"  fulfill  the  commissions  of  the  Divine 
throne;  whose  agency  is  conspicuous  in  the  Scripture  history;  and 
who,  though  in  a  manner  unseen  and  unknown  by  us,  are  doubt- 
less employed  still,  both  in  messages  of  mercy  in  behalf  of  God's 
people,  and  in  the  infliction  of  judicial  vengeance  on  his  enemies. 
The  superiority  of  these  vicegerents  of  heaven  to  the  mightiest 
tyrants  of  this  world,  the  "oppressors  of  the  poor,"  the  "perver- 
ters  of  judgment  and  justice,"  was  strikingly  displayed,  when  one 
of  them,  ii?a  single  night,  smote  and  destroyed  the  myriads  of  the 
host  of  Sennacherib ;  when  "the  Lord  sent  his  angel  and  delivered 
Peter  out  of  the  hand  of  Herod,  and  from  all  the  expectation  of 
the  people  of  the  Jews;  and  when  the  messenger  of  Divine  jealousy 
"smote"  the  tyrant,  "because,"  in  his  high  estate,  "he  gave  not 
God  the  glory,"  and  saved  the  Church  from  his  persecuting  vio- 
lence. 2  Kings  xix.  35.    Acts  xii.  11,  23. 

In  the  verses  which  follow,  a  good  deal  of  the  sentiment  is  simi- 
lar to  what  has  been  formerly  illustrated.  They  are  introduced 
liere,  apparently  for  two  purposes; — in  the  first  place,  to  comfort 
and  encourage  "the  poor,"  even  although  by  "oppression"  their 
right  should  be  taken  away,  and  they  should  be  kept  down,  and 
prevented  from  rising  in  the  world ;  and  in  the  next  place,  to  settle 
the  doubts  of  the  man  who  witnesses  the  "oppression  of  the  poor," 
the  Avresting  of  their  judgment,  and  the  distress  which  they  are 
thus  made  to  endure, — by  showing,  that  true  happiness  is  by  no 
means  on  the  side  of  the  most  successful  and  the  wealthiest  op- 
pressor ; — or,  in  other  words,  that  "  a  man's  life  consisteth  not  in 
the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth." 

Let  us  take  up  the  sentiments  expressed  in  the  successive  verses, 
iind  observe  their  bearing  upon  this  general  position : — 

1.  Natural  wants  are  easily  satisfied: — 

Verse  0.  Moreover,  the  profit  of  the  earth  is  for  all:  the  king  him- 
self is  served  of  the  field. 

"  The  profit  of  the  earth  "  is  its  produce ;  and  especially  corn,  or 
i)i\'ad,  whicli  is  the  start*  of  life, — tlve  imnieiliate  and  indispensable 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  8-20.  157 

means  of  its  support.  It  is  '4br  all:"  it  is  appointed  for  all;  it 
is  sufficient  for  all ;  and,  although  in  various  measures,  all  partake 
of  it.  And  of  all  to  whom  ''their  bread  is  given"  it  may  with 
truth  be  said,  that  they  have  all  that  the  earth  can  yield  of  real 
necessaries  even  to  the  king  himself.  Royalty,  indeed,  may  pos- 
sess more  than  poverty,  of  the  luxuries  of  life;  but  these  contribute 
little  to  true  enjoyment ;  often  .they  are  the  sources  of  suifering. 
AVithout  the  tillage  of  the  ground,  the  king  himself  could  not  have 
bread, — and  could  not  live : — so  that,  in  one  view,  and  that  a  very 
important  one,  the  king  is  more  dependent  on  the  ploughman, 
than  the  ploughman  is  on  the  king.  Of  all  the  arts  of  civilized 
man,  agriculture  is  transcendently  the  most  essential  and  valua- 
ble. Other  arts  may  contribute  to  the  comfort,  the  convenience, 
and  the  embellishment  of  life ;  but  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  stands 
in  immediate  connection  w-ith  our  very  existence.  The  life  itself, 
to  whose  comfort  and  convenience  and  embellishment  other  arts 
contribute,  is  by  this  to  be  sustained ;  so  that  others  without  it 
can  avail  nothing.  In  their  dependence  on  "the  field"  all  are 
equal:  the  prince  and  the  peasant  are  alike  "served"  of  it.  And 
thus,  all  classes  are  mutually  dependent  on  one  another ;  l)y  which 
the  rich  should  be  taught  humility,  and  the  poor  contentment. 
The  latter,  if  they  have  their  share  of  "the  profit  of  the  earth," 
have  by  far  the  most  valuable  of  its  productions.  The  king  may 
have  the  garniture  of  life;  but  they  possess,  in  common  Avith  him, 
its  substance.  The  king  has  indeed  what  they  want;  but  they 
have  what  the  king  cannot  want.  They  can  do  without  what  the 
king  has ;  but  the  king  cannot  do  without  what  they  have. 

2.  The  poor  are  widely  mistaken,  if  they  imagine  that  the  grati- 
fication of  a  man's  desires  in  the  acquisition  of  wealth  always  pro- 
duces the  expected  satisfaction : — 

Verse  10.  He  that  loveth  silver  shall  not  be  satisfied  with  silver; 
nor  he  that  loveth  abundance  ivith  increase.      This  is  also  canity. 

"  He  that  loveth  silver "  is  the  man  that  sets  his  heart  upon 
riches,  and  places  his  happiness  in  the  attainment  of  them ;  and 
"he  that  loveth  abundance"  is  only  another  form  of  the  same 
designation.  He  "  shall  not  be  satisfied  wdth  silver :"  that  is,  when 
he  has  gotten  it,  he  will  find  himself  disappointed  iii'his  expecta- 
tions from  the  acquisition ;  he  will  find  himself  the  possessor,  in- 
deed, of  abundance,  but  not  on  that  account  the  possessor  of  happi- 


158  LECTURE    IX. 

ness.  A  man's  ideas  and  desires  enlarge  as  he  advances.  His 
notions  of  poverty  and  riches,  which  are  to  so  great  a  degree  rela- 
tive terms,  undergo  change  with  his  changing  circumstances. 
What  seemed  to  him  riches  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  soon  comes 
to  be  accounted  poverty.  That  which,  from  a  losver  point  in  the 
scale,  was  the  height  of  his  ambition,  becomes,  when  he  has  reach- 
ed it,  only  a  point  from  which  to  look  higher.  He  never  says  "  It 
is  enough ;"  but  what  he  gets  is  still  but  the  means  of  getting  more. 
The  thirst  of  gain,  instead  of  being  quenched,  becomes  more  and 
more  ardent  and  insatiable.  And  if  a  man  has  not  a  satisfied  and 
contented  mind,  he  is  in  want  of  the  very  essence  of  happiness. 
He  carries  about  within  him  a  source  of  disquietude  and  "vexa- 
tion of  spirit,"  which  will  make  him  unhappy  amidst  the  most 
superfluous  abundance.  A  contented  spirit  is  the  very  first  re- 
quisite of  true  enjoyment:  and  the  poor  man  Avho  has  but  "food 
and  raiment,"  and  both,  it  may  be,  scantily,  is  more  really  and 
substantially  happy  if  he  possesses  it,  than  the  richest  on  earth 
can  ever  be  without  it.  Even  when  a  man  has  so  far  appeared  to 
be  satisfied  with  what  he  has  got,  as  to  retire  from  the  pursuit  of 
more,  he  will  still  feel  a  void, — "an  aching  void;" — to  a  greater 
degree  sometimes,  than  when  the  bustle  of  business  kept  his  mind 
engaged.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  mere  wealth  to  confer  solid 
satisfaction.  The  desires  of  the  soul  cannot  be  filled  by  it;  nor 
can  it  either  prevent  or  remove  the  various  "  ills  that  flesh  is  heir 
to."  It  cannot  insure  against  a  single  disease ;  it  cannot  alleviate 
pain ;  it  cannot  ward  oif  from  its  possessor  himself  the  stroke  of 
death ;  nor  can  it  purchase  the  continuance  of  life  to  wife  or  child- 
ren, kinsman  or  friend,  or  redeem  it  when  it  has  gone  down  to 
the  grave.     "  The  small  and  the  great  are  there." 

3.  Those  who  live  by  the  wealth  of  the  rich  man — the  man 
whose  heart  is  set  upon  his  riches — have  as  much,  if  not  more, 
enjoyment  of  it  than  he  has  himself: — 

Verse  11.  When  goods  increase,  they  are  increased  that  eat  them  : 
and  what  good  is  there  to  the  oirners  thereof,  saving  the  beholding  of 
ihem  with  their  eyesf 

The  rich  man,  as  he  rises  in  the  world,  must  keep  up  a  corres- 
ponding establishment.  As  his  riches  increase,  the  number  of 
his  servants  and  retainers,  of  various  descriptions,  increases.  To 
the  covetous,  who  has  given  his  heart,  and  time,  and  toil,  to  the 


I-CCLE.SIA&TRS  V.  8-20,  159 

acquirement  of  abundance,  this  is  a  source  of  ince^sant  fretfulness 
and  vexation.  There  is  within  him  a  contention  of  opposite  feelings. 
He  must  keep  up  a  certain  appearance  in  the  world.  Yet  the 
VNaste  of  his  dear  pelf,  squandered  by  menials  and  overseers,  or 
-even  necessarily  expended  on  "  the  pride  of  life/'  costs  him  many 
a  pang.  It  keeps  him  ever  grudging  and  ever  complaining.  The 
number  of  consumers  multiplying  with  his  increasing  means,  he 
is  not  in  fact  richer,  nay,  he  may  even  be  poorer,  than  when  he 
iiad  less  wealth  and  fewer  mouths  to  feed.  And  all  the  while, 
what  has  he  of  the  enjoyment  of  his  riches,  beyond  those  who  live 
upon  him,  "saving  the  beholding  of  them  with  his  eyes?" — the 
mere  gratification  of  looking  on  his  treasures,  and  saying,  "These 
are  mine!"  And  is  this  difference  worth  much?  Is  there  any 
rational  and  substantial  gratification  in  it?  Is  it  a  sufficient  com- 
pensation for  the  toil  with  which  wealth  has  been  gained,  and  the 
nnxious  care  with  which  it  is  kept? 

Riches  increased  in  Solomon's  own  reign ;  and  the  number  oi 
his  servants  and  retainers,  the  extent  and  splendor  of  his  establish- 
ment, increased  in  proportion.  "His  provision  for  one  day," the 
history  informs  us,  "  was  thirty  measures  of  fine  flour,  and  three- 
score measures  of  meal,  ten  fat  oxen,  and  twenty  oxen  out  of  the 
pastures,  and  a  hundred  sheep,  beside  harts  and  roe-bucks,  and 
fallow-deer,  and  fatted  fowl."  Thus,  "as  riches  increased  they 
were  increased  that  ate  them :"  and,  had  Solomon  been  one  who 
"loved  silver,"  the  only  difference  between  him  and  his  servants, 
{who,  in  all  essential  respects — in  all  that  regarded  the  wants  of 
nature,  and  even  the  real  comforts  of  life — were  as  well  off  as  their 
master,)  Avould  have  been,  the  "  beholding  of  his  treasures  with 
his  eyes,"  and  calling  them  his  own;  with  this  difference,  indeed, 
against  him  in  the  balance,  that  /*/•>•  breast  would  have  l>een  the 
residence  of  all  the  care. 

4.  This  care  is  next  mentioned,  as  a  source  of  irksome  and  sleep- 
less disquietude  to  the  man  of  wealth : — 

Verse  12.  The  deep  of  a  laboring  man  w  sweet,  ichether  he  eat 
tittle  or  much;  hut  the  abundance  of  the  rich  will  not  suffer  him  to 
sleep. 

It  appears  to  be  of  the  anxiety  produced  by  wealth,  iu  the  bo- 
som of  the  covetous,  the  man  who  "  loveth  silver,"  that  Solomon 
here  speaks,  as  adding  nights  of  sleeplessness  to  days  of  solicitude 


160  LECTURE   IX, 

and  '*  vexation  of  spirit."  Innumerable  are  the  apprehensions: 
and  disquieting  jealousies  and  alarms,  some  well-founded,  and 
others  groundless,  that  haunt  the  bosom  of  the  rich  man  whose- 
wealth  is  his  idol  and  his  all; — apprehensions,  and  jealousies,  and 
alarms,  from  which  the  man  of  moderate  possessions  is  compara- 
tively free.  The  full  meals  of  the  rich  and  luxurious  may  be  en- 
vied by  the  poor  and  hard-toiled  laborer ;  yet  they  frequently  have 
no  other  effect  than  to  add  to  the  restlessness  of  anxiety,  harassing 
even  the  little  sleep  they  can  obtain, — 

" short,  as  usual,  and  disturb'd  repose," — 


with  scaring  dreams  and  phantasms  of  terror.  On  the  contrary,, 
"the  sleep  of  a  laboring  man  is  sweet,  whether  he  eat  little  or  much.'^ 
If  he  has  but  a  scanty  meal,  his  fatigue  has  prepared  him  for  sound 
repose;  and  when  he  can  have  a  larger  allowance  of  his  plain  and 
Avholesome  fare,  his  healthy  and  vigorous  constitution  procures, 
him  a  regular  and  ready  digestioji:  and  he  is,  at  the  same  time,, 
happily  free  of  those  sudden  starts  and  anxious  fears  by  which  the 
rich  worldling  is  so  often  agitated,  and  "  his  eyes  held  waking." 
The  laboring  peasant  has,  in  general,  little  cause  to  envy  either 
the  days  or  the  nights  of  his  wealthy  lord  or  neighbor,  if  he  be  a 
man  whose  riches  are  his  portion  and  his  heart's  desire.  It  is  of 
such  that  Solomon  speaks. 

5.  Riches  sometimes  prove  the  occasion  to  their  possessors  of 
the  most  serious  injury: — 

Verses  13,  14.  There  is  a  sore  ceil  ichich  I  have  seen  under  the 
sun,  iiainely,  riches  kept  for  the  owners  of  them  to  their  hurt:  but 
these  riches  perish  by  evil  travail;  and  he  begetteth  a  son,  and  there 
is  nothing  in  his  haiul. 

The  inward  anxiety  and  fear  to  which  riches  give  rise  are  some- 
times but  too  well  founded.  Riches  stir  up  envy :  envy  leads  to 
calumny  and  slander,  and,  not  unfrequently,  on  any  or  on  no 
ground,  to  malicious  and  harassing  prosecutions.  Riches  are  a 
lure  to  thieves,  to  robbers,  to  murderers ;  and  have  many  a  time 
cost  the  proprietor  his  life.  And,  worst  of  all, — what  is,  more 
than  any  external  calamity,  even  than  death  itself,  "  to  the  hurt " 
of  him  whom  providence  allows  to  retain  them,  they  hold  out  a 
powerful,  and,  alas !  in  many  instances  a  too  successful  temptation 
to  their  owners,  to  forget  God,  and  to  neglect  their  spiritual  and. 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  8-20.  161 

everlasting  interests.  They  thus  endanger  the  soul;  they  put 
eternity  itself  in  jeopardy;  and  a  rise  in  the  world  has  too  often, 
alas!  been  the  means  of  spiritual  declension,  apostasy,  and  ruin. 
'•'  They  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare,  and  into 
many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown  men  in  destruction 
and  perdition.  For  the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil ; 
which,  while  some  coveted  after,  they  have  erred  from  the  faith, 
and  pierced  themselves  through  with  many  sorrows."  "How 
hardly  shall  they  that  have  riches  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God ! — 
How  hard  is  it  for  them  that  trust  in  riches  to  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God !  It  is  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  1 
Tim.  vi.  9,  10.    Mark  x.  23-25. 

There  are  different  ways  in  which  riches  may  be  "  kept,  for  the 
hurt"  of  the  proprietors.  But  perhaps  the  case  which  Solomon 
had  chiefly  in  his  eye,  is  that  of  a  son  and  heir,  for  whom,  as  their 
destined  owner,  the  riches  are  reserved ;  who  is  born  and  brought 
up  to  a  fortune ;  to  whom  great  prospects  are  held  out ;  who  is 
bred  as  an  independent  gentleman,  undemeaned  by  either  handi- 
craft or  mercantile  labor.  But  "  these  riches,"  in  the  mysterious 
providence  of  God,  "perish  by  evil  travail;"  by  some  indiscreet 
mismanagement,  or  by  some  extravagant  and  over-greedy  specu- 
lation: and  this  hopeful  son,  "hath  nothing  in  his  hand:"  he  is 
still  a  son,  but  no  longer  an  heir.  The  fortune  to  which  he  trusted 
is  gone;  and  all  the  prospective  visions  of  his  inflated  fancy  arc 
vanished  with  it.  Nothing  could  well  be,  to  such  a  youth,  a  more 
serious  injury.  From  his  education,  "he  cannot  dig,"  and  "to 
beg  he  is  ashamed."  Thus,  riches  have  been  "  kept  for  him  to  his 
hurt:"  and  the  poor  inconsiderate  father  partakes  of  the  misery, 
being  fretted  by  unavailing  reflections,  galled  by  the  disappoint- 
ment of  his  family  hopes,  and  stung  to  the  quick  by  mortified 
pride. 

6.  The  possession  of  riches  is,  at  the  very  longest,  bounded  by 
the  present  life: — 

Verses  15, 16.  As  he  came  forth  of  his  mother\s  womb,  naked  shall 
he  retm^  to  go  as  he  came,  and  shall  take  nothing  of  his  labor,  lohich 
he  may  carry  away  in  his  hand.  And  this  also  is  a  sore  evil,  that 
in  all  jioints  as  he  came,  so  shall  he  go:  and  what  profit  hath  he  that 
hath  labored  for  the  wind? 
II 


162  LECTURE  IX. 

These  verses,  indeed,  may  be  taken  in  immediate  connection 
with  the  case  described  in  the  two  preceding.  They  are  true, 
however,  of  every  possessor  of  riches  without  exce  ption :  and  it  is 
not  the  first  time  that  this  particular  view  of  their  vanity  has  been 
brought  forward  in  this  book.  The  man  above  described,  whose 
"riches  perish  by  evil  travail,"  came  helpless  into  the  world,  and 
he  leaves  it  destitute.  And  of  all  it  is  sadly  true,  that  they  can 
"  take  nothing  of  their  labor  which  they  may  carry  away  in  their 
hand."  This  is  one  of  those  evident  truths  which  do  not  require 
to  be  proved,  but  to  be  impressed.  It  is  one  of  which  the  im- 
portance is  equal  to  the  plainness  and  simp  licity ;  for  it  is  not 
truths  that  are  abstruse  and  recondite  that  are,  in  general,  of  the 
greatest  consequence,  or  tliat  draw  after  them  the  weightiest  re- 
sults. That  "we  brought  nothing  into  this  world,  and  it  is  cer- 
tain we  can  carry  nothing  out"  is  a  position  so  trite  and  plain, 
that  to  question  it  would  indicate  a  disturbed  intellect.  Yet  if 
this  simple  and  obvious  aphorism  Avere  universally  felt  and  acted 
upon  as  it  ought  to  be,  it  would  have  an  influence  that  cannot  be 
estimated  on  the  temporal  and  eternal  interests  of  mankind. 

When  Job  said,  "Naked  came  I  out  of  my  mother's  womb,  and 
naked  shall  I  return  thither:  the  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord!" — he  felt  and  ex- 
pressed the  same  affecting  truth.  But  the  feelings  of  the  Patri- 
arch were  widely  different  indeed,  from  those  of  Solomon's  dis- 
appointed and  mortified  worldling.  His  is  not,  like  Job's,  the 
"godly  sorrow"  which  is  accompanied  and  tempered  with  resig- 
nation to  the  will  of  heaven,  bearing  the  bereavement  as  a  stroke 
of  Divine  correction.  But  to  him  it  is  "a  sore  evil"  to  part  with 
that  wealth  on  which  his  heart  has  been  set;  to  see  it  "make  to 
itself  wings  and  fly  away  from  him  as  an  eagle  toward  heaven ;" 
or  to  leave  it  behind  him  when  the  summons  of  death  arrives.  O 
how  affecting  is  tlie  thought  of  such  a  man!  how  pitiable  seems 
his  case  to  the  spiritual  mind ! — clinging  to  the  world  to  the  very 
last, — reluctant  to  quit  his  liold: — and,  even  when  cold  in  death, 
his  hand  remaining  clinched  in  the  last  convulsive  grasp  with 
which  he  sought  to  retain  his  darling  treasures ! 

Still,  however,  it  is  especially  of  the  man  whose  riches  have 
"perished  by  evil  travail"  that  Solomon  speaks;  and  respecting 
him,  observe  what  follows: — 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  8-20.  1 63 

7.  His  remaining  days  on  earth  are  miserable,  and  his  depar- 
ture from  tlie  world  fearful : — 

Verse  17.  All  his  clays  also  he  catdh  in  darkness;  and  he  hcdh 
much  sorrow  and  wrath  with  his  sickness. 

Darkness  here  seems  to  signify  especially  two  things: — in  the 
first  place,  the  dreary  cheei'lessness  of  the  man's  mind  who  has  thus 
lost  his  all,  and  whose  prospects  have  been  so  unexpectedly  blasted; 
light  being,  in  all  languages,  a  figure  for  joy,  and]  darkness  for 
misery : — and  secondly,  the  sad  neglect  into  which  the  poor  man 
falls.  The  friendship  of  the  world  was  friendship  to  his  riches 
rather  than  to  himself.  Whilst  these  remained  with  him,  he  en- 
joyed it;  but  when  they  are  gone,  the  bond  is  broken:  he  loses 
his  influence,  he  sinks  into  neglect;  and  the  man  who  before 
gathered  crowds  to  his  levee,  finds,  to  his  bitter  mortification,  that 
to  be  j)enniless  is  to  be  friejidless.  He  is  deserted,  solitary,  for- 
lorn; and  all  his  remaining  days  he  "eateth  in  darkness" — the 
darkness  of  poverty  and  seclusion.  "The  light  is  dark  in  his 
tabernacle."  The  losses  which  he  has  sustained,  and  these  galling 
effects  of  them,  he  feels  grievously.  They  lie  with  oppressive 
weight  upon  his  spirit.  In  the  "sickness"  that  brings  him  to  the 
grave,  he  has  "much  sorrow  and  wrath:" — "sorroir,'^  springing 
from  irremediable  bereavement,  mortified  pride,  disappointed  hopes, 
and  the  ungrateful  requital  of  pretended  friends: — and  "pierced 
through  as  he  is  with  many  sorrows,"  the  trials  which  have  oc- 
casioned them  are  unsanctified;  his  heart  is  still  Avorldly;  he  is 
irritated,  instead  of  being  subdued  and  submissive ;  he  is  agitated 
by  "wrath"  against  men  for  their  base  and  selfish  treatment  of 
him,  and  by  inward  murmurings,  rising  at  times  even  to  the  bitter- 
ness of  rage  and  blasphemy,  against  the  providence  of  God !  Hoav 
affecting,  how  fearful  the  thought  of  such  a  close  of  life, — of  such 
an  entrance  into  eternity !  It  makes  one's  heart  thrill  with  horror. 
O  how  earnestly  should  we  pray,  that  God  in  his  providence  may 
keep  uis  from  exposure  to  temptations,  and  that,  by  his  grace,  he 
may  preserve  our  hearts  from  such  inordinate  attachment  to  a 
present  world ;  that  if  he  permits  us  to  prosper,  he  may  enable  us 
to  "rejoice  as  though  we  rejoiced  not;"  and  if  he  visits  us  with  re- 
verses, to  "weep  as  though  we  wept  not;"  and  ever  to  be,  "when 
we  buy,  as  though  we  possessed  not,  and  when  we  use  this  world 
as  not  abusing  it;  because  the  fiishion  of  itpasseth  away." 


164  LECTURE   IX. 

The  chapter  concludes  with  a  description  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  temporal  bounties  of  Divine  providence  should  be  received 
and  enjoyed: — 

Verses  18-20.  Behold  that  which  I  have  seen:  it  is  good  and 
comely  for  one  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  to  erijoy  the  good  of  all  his  la- 
bor that  he  taheth  under  the  sun  all  the  days  of  his  life,  which  God 
giveth  Mm;  for  it  is  his  portion.  Every  man  also  to  whom  God  hath 
given  riches  and  wealth,  and  hath  given  him  power  to  eat  thereof,  and 
to  take  his  portion,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  labor;  this  is  the  gift  of  God. 
For  he  shall  not  much  remember  the  days  of  his  life ;  because  God 
ansivereth  him  in  the  joy  of  his  heart. 

The  sentiment  of  these  verses  is  very  similar  to  what  he  had  re- 
peatedly expressed  before:  chap.  ii.  24-26.  iii.  12,  13,  22.  I  shall 
refrain,  therefore,  from  enlarging  in  the  illustration  of  them.  The 
expression  in  the  eighteenth  verse,  "This  is  his  portion,"  is  not, 
by  any  means,  to  be  understood  in  the  same  sense  as  when  it  is 
said  of  the  "  men  of  the  world,"  that  they  "  have  their  portion  in 
this  life;"  Psalm  xvii.  14.  The  meaning  is,  that  "the  good  of  all 
his  labor"  is  "the  gift  of  God,"  as  well  as  the  life  itself  in  which 
the  acquisitions  of  property  are  made :  and  whatever,  through  the 
Divine  blessing  upon  his  labors,  he  acquires,  is  to  be  looked  upon 
as  given  him  to  he  enjoyed;  the  God  who  bestows  it,  allotting  to 
every  individual  his  particular  po/'^/on  of  earthly  good, — "dividing 
to  every  man  severally  as  he  Avill."  And  the  manner  in  which 
Solomon  introduces  God  as  the  giver  both  of  life  and  of  its  enjoy- 
ments, shows  us  how  they  ought  to  be  received,  and  how  to  be 
used ; — surely,  in  a  way  consistent  with  his  will,  and  conducive  to 
his  glory.  It  can  neither  be  "good"  nor  "comely"  to  enjoy  the 
benefit,  and  to  forget  the  Author  of  it;  to  spend  the  "portion" 
which  God  allots,  in  occupations  and  for  purposes  which  God  ab- 
hors. And  the  man  who,  in  his  moments  of  dissolute  revelry, 
quotes  Solomon  in  excuse  or  palliation  of  libertinism,  as  if  he  gave 
his  sanction  to  the  "  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the 
pride  of  life,"  either  has  not  thought  of  liis  words  at  all,  or  has 
thought  of  them  with  most  pitiable  and  malignant  perversity. 

In  contemplating  our  worldly  acquisitions,  we  are  ever  in  dan- 
ger of  "  burning  incense  to  our  own  net,  and  offering  sacrifice  to 
our  own  drag ;"  of  taking  the  credit,  that  is,  and  giving  the  praise, 
to  ourselves.     Against  this  danger  Moses  Avarned  the  Israelites; 


ecclesiastp:s  v.  8-20,  165 

and  we  need  the  warning  not  less  than  they: — '* Beware — lest, 
when  thou  hast  eaten  and  art  full,  and  hast  built  goodly  houses, 
and  dwelt  therein ;  and  when  thy  herds  and  thy  flocks  multiply, 
and  thy  silver  and  thy  gold  are  multiplied,  and  all  that  thou  hast 
is  multiplied;  then  thy  heart  be  lifted  up,  and  thou  forget  the 
Lord  thy  God, — and  say  in  thy  heart.  My  power,  and  the  might 
of  my  hand,  hath  gotten  me  this  wealth.  But  thou  shalt  remem- 
])er  the  Lord  thy  God ;  for  he  it  is  that  giveth  thee  power  to  get 
wealth."  Dent.  viii.  11-14,  17,  18.  But  God  is  not  only  the  be- 
stower  of  whatever  a  man  is  enabled  to  acquire  of  "riches  and 
wealth;"  but  he  is  further  represented  here  as  giving  "power  to 
eat  thereof,  and  to  take  his  portion,  and  to  rejoice  in  his  labor." 
The  ability,  power,  or  capacity  of  enjoyment,  here  spoken  of,  may 
be  considered  as  including  health  of  body,  peace  and  tranquillity 
of  mind,  and  such  a  providential  ordering  of  circumstances,  as  to 
afford  full  opportunity  in  other  respects ;  no  untoward  hinderance 
coming  between  the  possessor  and  the  free  and  unembarrassed  use 
of  his  property.  TMs,  too,  as  well  as  wealth  itself,  Solomon  pro- 
nounces to  be  "the  gift  of  God;"  and  he  immediately  contrasts  it, 
as  we  shall  see  in  the  beginning  of  the  next  chapter,  Avith  its  op- 
posite ;  with  the  case  of  a  man  to  whom  God  gives  the  "  riches, 
and  wealth,  and  honor "  themselves,  but  withholds  the  "  power  to 
eat  thereof," — the  capacity  and  the  opportunity  of  enjoyment. 
We  decline  farther  remarks  till  we  come  to  this  contrast. 

The  general  meaning  of  the  twentieth  verse, — "  For  he  shall  not 
much  remember  the  days  of  his  life,  because  God  answereth  him 
in  the  joy  of  his  heart," — probably  is,  that  whereas,  to  the  dis- 
contented and  the  unhappy,  time  passes  slowly  and  heavily, — 
every  minute  is  numbered, — the  hours  are  tedious  and  irksome, — 
their  days  and  their  nights  are  alike  wearisome; — to  the  man  above 
described,  on  the  contrary,  the  man  of  contentment,  and  cheerful- 
ness, and  piety,  who  enjoys  a  healthy  body,  and  a  thankful,  depen- 
dent, resigned,  and  happy  spirit;  who  enjoys  God  in  all  things,  and 
all  things  in  God, — to  him  the  time  passes  lightly  and  pleasantly; 
the  hours  fly  over  him  "on  angel  wings:"  he  smiles  on  the  rising, 
and  smiles  on  the  setting  sun ;  he  is  not  harassed  with  the  remem- 
brance of  past  ills,  over  which  the  memory  of  the  discontented 
man  is  for  ever  brooding  in  peevish  fretfulness;  nor  is  he  dis- 
quieted with  careful  solicitude  about  the  future,  but,  in  the  exer- 


166  LECTURE    IX. 

cise  of  faith  in  God,  enjoys  to-day,  and  leaves  to-morrow  "to  take 
care  for  the  things  of  itself."  The  man  whose  desires  God  thus 
answereth, — giving  him  "joy  of  heart"  in  his  labors  and  in  the 
^^ portion"  arising  from  their  success, — goes  through  the  world 
with  as  large  a  measure  of  happiness  as  can  well  be  furnished  in 
it.  "The  days  of  his  life  he  does  not  much  remember,"  because 
they  are  not  marked  for  future  recollection  by  those  calamities 
and  sufferings,  of  which  the  memory  (alas !  for  the  selfishness  and 
ingratitude  of  men !)  is  in  general  so  much  more  tenacious  than  it 
is  of  past  enjoyments.  His  life  is  a  "river  of  pleasures,"  to  which 
his  recollections  and  his  anticipations,  as  well  as  his  present  bless- 
ings, are  all  so  many  tributary  streams.  Abundant  cause  has 
such  a  man  for  heart-felt  ascriptions  of  praise,  both  to  the  God  of 
providence,  and  to  the  "  God  of  all  grace." 

To  expatiate  in  practically  improving  this  passage  would  lead 
to  unavoidable  repetition.     I  shall  only  observe: — 

1.  In  the  first  'place,  the  propriety  and  the  duty  of  keeping  con- 
tinually in  mind  that  "He  that  is  higher  than  the  highest  regard- 
eth"  every  step  of  our  procedure  through  life; — that  his  eye  is 
unceasingly  upon  us ;  that  he  marks  every  thought,  every  look, 
every  word,  every  action;  that  he  "compasses  our  sitting  down 
and  our  rising  up,  and  is  acquainted  with  all  our  ways."  Forget 
not  this,  ye  children  of  God: — "There  is  no  creature  that  is  not 
manifest  in  his  sight;  but  all  things  are  naked  and  opened  unto 
the  eyes  of  Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do :" — and  let  the  remem- 
brance of  it  be  a  powerful  and  prevalent  restraint  upon  all  evil. 
"Stand  in  awe,  and  sin  not."  In  a  particular  manner,  let  what- 
ever power,  authority,  and  influence  you  possess,  be  uniformly 
exercised  in  justice  and  in  mercy,  "elust  and  true  are  all  the 
ways  of  the  King  of  saints."  He  is  "the  righteous  God,  and  he 
loveth  righteousness."  And  often  does  he  express  a  peculiar  re- 
gard to  the  rights  of  the  poor,  and  a  watchful  and  indignant  jeal- 
ousy of  their  infringement.  The  Lord  Jesus,  the  King  of  Zion, 
has  "chosen  the  poor  of  this  world  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  his 
kingdom."  Tliey  constitute  a  large  proportion  of  his  subjects. 
"He  shall  judge  the  poor  of  the  people,  he  shall  save  the  children 
of  the  needy,  and  shall  break  in  pieces  the  oppressor.  He  shall 
deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth,  the  poor  also,  and  him  that  hath 
no  helper.     He  shall  spare  the  poor  and  needy,  and  shall  save  the 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  8-20.  167 

souls  of  the  needy.  He  shall  redeem  their  souls  from  deceit  and 
violence;  and  precious  shall  their  blood  be  in  his  sight."  Let  us, 
then,  my  Christian  brethren,  beware  of  "despising  the  poor." 
And  especially,  when  in  the  church  we  are  called  to  the  exercise 
of  judgment  between  brother  and  brother,  let  us  be  on  our  guard 
against  all  "  respect  of  persons," — all  partiality,  all  favoritism  on 
the  one  hand,  and  oppression  on  the  other.  It  is  not  of  the  mere 
practice  of  courtesy  in  places  of  worship,  but  of  the  exercise  of 
judgment  in  the  meetings  of  the  church,  regarding  matters  of  con- 
troversy between  the  ricli  and  the  poor,  that  the  apostle  James 
speaks,  when  he  gives  us,  as  he  gave  others  of  old,  the  following 
important  directions  : — "  My  brethren,  have  not  the  faith  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Lord  of  glory,  with  respect  of  persons.  For, 
if  there  come  into  your  assembly  a  man  with  a  gold  ring,  in  goodly 
apparel,  and  there  come  in  also  a  poor  man  in  vile  raiment;  and 
ye  have  respect  to  him  that  weareth  the  gay  clothing,  and  say  unto 
him,  Sit  thou  here  in  a  good  place ;  and  say  to  the  poor.  Stand 
thou  there,  or  sit  here  under  my  footstool :  are  ye  not  then  partial 
in  yourselves,  and  are  become  judges  of  evil  thoughts?  Hearken, 
my  beloved  brethren,  Hath  not  God  chosen  the  poor  of  this  world 
rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom  which  he  hath  promised 
to  them  that  love  him?  but  ye  have  despised  the  poor.  Do  not 
rich  men  oppress  you,  and  draw  you  before  the  judgment-seats? 
Do  not  they  blaspheme  that  worthy  name  by  the  which  ye  are 
called  ?  If  ye  fulfill  the  royal  law  according  to  the  Scripture,  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself,  ye  do  well :  but  if  ye  have  re- 
spect to  persons,  ye  commit  sin,  and  are  convicted  by  the  law  as 
transgressors.  For  whosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet 
offend  in  one  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all.  For  he  that  said,  Do  not 
commit  adultery,  said  also,  Do  not  kill.  jSTow,  if  thou  commit  no 
adultery,  yet  if  thou  kill,  thou  art  become  a  transgressor  of  the 
law.  So  speak  ye,  and  so  do,  as  they  that  shall  be  judged  by  the 
law  of  liberty.  For  he  shall  have  judgment  without  mercy  that 
hath  showed  no  mercy;  and  mercy  rejoiceth  against  judgment." 
James  ii.  1-13. 

2.  In  the  second  jjlace.  Let  the  minds  of  all,  and  especially  of 
"the  brethren  of  low  degree,"  be  impressed,  from  the  consideration 
of  this  passage,  with  such  declarations  as  these: — "A  little  that  a 
righteous  man  hath,  is  better  than  the  riches  of  many  wicked:" — 


168  LECTURE  IX. 

"Better  is  little  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  than  great  treasure  and 
trouble  therewith:" — "Godliness  with  contentment  is  great  gain. 
For  we  brought  nothing  into  this  world ;  and  it  is  certain,  we  can 
carry  nothing  out.  And  having  food  and  raiment,  let  us  be  there- 
with content."  True  happiness  depends  not,  as  we  have  seen,  on 
situation.  In  as  far,  indeed,  as  the  real  and  substantial  comfort 
of  different  situations  is  concerned,  happiness  is  much  more  equally 
diffused  than,  on  a  hasty  and  superficial  survey  of  mankind,  we 
might  be  ready  to  conclude.  Every  situation  has  its  peculiar 
cares,  disappointments,  deficiencies,  and  trials.  No  earthly  con- 
dition brings  with  it  unalloyed  satisfaction:  and  frequently  the 
alloy  is  most  abundant  where  we  should  hardly  expect  it  to  be 
found.  The  great  and  steady  source  of  peace  and  joy  is  true  re- 
ligion;— that  state  of  mind  in  which  a  man  "sets  the  Lord  con- 
tinually before  him;"  traces  all  events  to  his  providence ;  acknowl- 
edges him  in  all  his  ways ;  makes  him  the  supreme  portion  of  his 
soul;  follows  his  will;  submits  to  his  appointments;  seeks  his 
glory;  and  delights  in  his  love.  This  makes  every  condition 
happy;  every  station  honorable.  He  is  truly  rich  who  is  "rich 
toward  God,"  Every  one  else,  though  crowned  with  gold  and 
diamonds,  "clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  faring  sumptu- 
ously every  day,"  is  "poor,  and  miserable,  and  wretched,  and 
blind,  and  naked."  True  religion,  a  life  of  faith  and  love,  and 
active  devotedness  to  God,  is  accompanied  with  a  sweet  and 
cheering  sense  of  hie  paternal  favor,  amidst  all  the  viciss  itudes  of 
life.  And  this  alone  can  impart  peace  and  hope  to  the  soul  when 
it  is  lingering  on  the  verge  of  time,  and  just  about  to  quit  the 
world,  and  enter  on  eternity.  It  is  only  leaving  the  paltry,  and 
perishing  possessions  of  earth,  for  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  "better 
and  more  enduring  substance,"  so  long  anticipated  as  the  object 
of  hope  and  desire; — the  "inheritance  that  is  incorruptible,  unde- 
filed,  and  that  fadeth  not  away."  "I  have  fought  a  good  fight; 
I  have  finished  my  course;  I  have  kept  the  faith.  Henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord, 
the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  to  me  at  that  day ;  and  not  to  me 
only,  but  to  all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." 

3.  In  the  last  ^ilace.  Let  this  passage  recommend  to  all,  the 
authoritative  and  kind  and  salutary  admonition  of  the  merciful 
Redeemer: — "Labor  not  for  the  meat  that  perishes,  but  for  th  t 


ECCLESIASTES  V.  8-20.  169 

meat  which  cndureth  unto  everlasting  life,  which  the  Son  of  man 
will  give  you;  for  him  hath  God  the  Father  sealed."  He  is  him- 
self the  bread  of  life; — bread,  of  which  whosoever  eateth  shall  live 
for  ever.  And  every  man  that  would  have  the  life  must  eat  of 
the  bread.  It  is  the  only  food  of  the  soul.  It  is  for  high  and 
low,  rich  and  poor  together.  "  The  king  himself"  must  be  "served 
of  the"  gospel  "field."  And  all  are  invited  to  partake  of  this 
heavenly  provision.  "Spend  no  longer  your  money  for  that 
which  is  not  bread,  and  your  labor  for  that  Avhich  satisfieth  not. 
Hearken  to  the  voice  of  God,  and  eat  ye  that  which  is  good. 
Come  ye,  buy  and  eat,  yea  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price."  "The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say.  Come; 
and  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come;  and  whosoever  Mall,  let  him 
take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  Obey  the  gracious  invitations  t 
and  then  indeed  you  "shall  not  much  remember  the  days  of  your 
life."  The  load  of  self-accusing  reflection  and  of  anxious  antici- 
pation will  be  lifted  from  your  spirit.  You  will  commence  a 
career  of  new  and  unknown  felicity.  God  will  "answer  you  in 
the  joy  of  your  heart."  "While  many  say.  Who  will  show  us 
any  good?  he  will  lift  upon  you  the  light  of  his  countenance ;"^ 
and  this  will  "  put  a  gladness  into  your  heart,"  such  as  you  never 
experienced,  even  "when  your  corn  and  your  wine  increased." 
You  will  "go  on  your  way  rejoicing;"  "counting  all  things  but 
loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ ;"  assured  that 
"nothing  shall  separate  you  from  the  love  of  God;"  "forgetting 
the  things  that  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things 
which  are  before,  and  pressing  toward  the  mark,  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  And  when  you  shall 
liave  reached  your  eternal  home,  "the  land  of  sacred  liberty  and 
endless  rest,"  "the  former  things  shall  no  more  be  remembered 
nor  come  into  mind,"  except  to  give  zest  to  the  pleasures,  ever 
new  and  ever  growing,  of  that  holy  and  happy  place,  where  "  God 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  your  eyes." 


LECTURE  X. 


ECCLESIASTES  VI.  1-12. 

'There  is  an  evil  which  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  and  it  (is)  common  among 
men:  2.  A  man  to  whom  God  hath  given  riches,  wealth,  and  honor,  so  that 
he  wanteth  nothing  for  his  soul  of  all  that  he  desireth,  yet  God  giveth  him  not 
power  to  eat  thereof,  but  a  stranger  eateth  it:  this  (is)  vanity,  and  it  (is) 
an  evil  disease.  3.  If  a  man  beget  a  hundred  (children,)  and  live  many 
years,  so  that  the  days  of  his  years  be  n],any,  and  his  soul  be  not  filled  with 
good,  and  also  (that)  he  have  no  burial;  I  say,  (that)  an  untimely  birth 
(is)  better  than  he:  4.  For  he  conieth  in  with  vanity,  and  departeth  in 
darkness,  and  his  name  shall  be  covered  with  darkness.  5.  Moreover,  he 
hath  not  seen  the  sun,  nor  known  (any  thing:)  this  hath  more  rest  than  the 
other.  6.  Yea,  though  he  live  a  thousand  years  twice  (told,)  yet  hath  he 
seen  no  good:  do  not  all  go  to  one  place?  7.  All  the  labor  of  man  (is)  for 
his  mouth,  and  yet  the  appetite  is  not  filled.  8.  For  what  hath  the  wise 
more  than  the  fool?  what  hath  the  poor,  that  knoweth  to  walk  before  the 
living?  9.  Better  (is)  the  sight  of  the  eyes  than  the  wandering  of  the  de- 
sire :  this  (is)  also  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit.  10.  That  which  hath  been 
is  named  already,  and  it  is  known  that  it  (is)  man :  neither  may  he  contend 
with  him  that  is*  mightier  than  he.  11.  Seeing  there  be  many  things  that 
increase  vanity,  Avhat  (is)  man  the  better?  12.  For  w'ho  knoweth  what  (is) 
good  for  man  in  (this)  life,  all  the  days  of  his  vain  life  which  he  spendeth 
as  a  shadow?  for  who  can  tell  a  man  what  shall  be  after  him  under  the 


The  case  described  in  the  beginning  of  tliis  chapter  forms  an 
intended  contrast,  as  I  formerly  noticed,  to  the  one  mentioned  in 
the  close  of  the  fifth.  In  that  case,  the  possession  of  wealth  and 
its  attendant  blessings  was  happily  associated  with  the  capacity  of 
enjoyment,  or  what  the  wise  man  denominates  "  power  to  eat  there- 
of" In  the  case  which  he  now  states,  the  wealth  is  supposed  to 
be  bestowed,  but  the  capacity  of  enjoyment  withheld: — 

Verses  1,  2.  There  is  an  evil  ichich  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  and 
H  is  common  among  men:  A  man  to  whom  God  hath  given  riches, 


ECCLESIASTES  VI.  1-12.  171 

wealth,  and  honor,  so  that  he  ivanteth  nothing  for  his  soul  of  all  that 
he  desireth;  yet  Godgiveth  him  not  power  to  eat  thereof,  but  a  stranger 
eateih  it:  this  is  vanity,  and  it  is  an  evil  disease. 

This  evil  was  common,  it  should  seem,  in  the  days  of  Solomon; 
and  we  are  far  from  being  without  instances  of  it  in  our  own. 
Human  nature  being  in  every  age  the  same,  we  may  expect  it, 
with  the  exception  of  the  changes  which  the  varying  state  of  so- 
ciety and  of  manners  necessarily  produces,  to  exhibit  in  general 
the  same  appearances.  "  There  is  a  man  to  whom  God  hath  given 
riches," — abundant  pecuniary  treasures; — "and  wealth," — an  es- 
tate, it  may  be,  in  land,  with  numerous  flocks  and  herds, — sheep 
and  oxen, — camels  and  asses; — "and  honor," — the  external  splen- 
dor of  riches  attracting  public  admiration,  and  the  weight  and  in- 
fluence which,  in  every  country,  are  associated  with  Avealth. 

But,  alas!  with  all  this  bounty,  "God  giveth  him  not  power  to 
•eat  thereof."  Although  all  his  schemes  of  emolument  have  pros- 
pered,— his  riches  have  flowed  in  upon  him,  so  that  "he  wanteth 
nothing  for  his  soul  of  all  that  he  desireth," — all  his  wishes,  in 
regard  to  the  object  on  which  his  heart  was  set,  having  been  fully 
realized :  yet  some  untoward  occurrence,  some  insuperable  obstacle, 
comes  between  him  and  the  enjoyment  of  his  possessions,  depriv- 
ing him  of  the  opportunity,  or  of  the  capacity,  of  availing  him- 
self at  all  of  his  overflowing  resources  of  earthly  greatness  and 
felicity.  His'  body,  for  example,  may  be  afilicted  by  painful  or 
exhausting  sickness,  by  which  every  thing  the  world  can  furnish  is 
bereft  of  its  relish,  so  that  "  he  never  eateth  with  pleasure ;"  and 
all  his  riches  and  wealth  cannot  arrest  the  progress  of  his  malady ; 
cannot  impart  a  moment's  ease,  or  give  efficacy  to  a  single  medi- 
cine: or,  a  series  of  heavy  domestic  afflictions  may  so  prey  upon 
his  spirit,  as  to  render  all  his  honors  and  all  his  pleasures  vapid 
and  irksome ;  so  that,  to  remind  him  of  them  is  only  to  deepen  his 
gloom  by  making  him  feel  anew  their  tastelessness;  it  is  singing 
songs  to  a  heavy  heart;"  it  is  but  embittering  the  reflection, 

"  How  ill  the  scenes  that  offer  rest, 
And  heart  that  cannot  rest,  agree." 

Instances  of  such  a  nature  are,  alas !  far  from  being  rare :  and  they 

•are  not  less  humbling  to  our  self-dependent  pride,  than  they  are 

.aifeeting  to  our  feelings  of  sympathy. 

^'A  stranger  eateth  it."     A  self-interested,  artful  man,  taking 


172  LECTURE  X. 

advantage.of  circumstances,  insinuateshimself  into  the  good  graces 
of  the  proprietor ;  lives  upon  the  fat  of  his  estate ;  secretly  wastes 
his  substance  in  the  advancement  of  his  own  projects ;  and  per- 
haps draws  the  whole  into  his  hand  at  the  owner's  death : — or,  in 
one  or  other  of  a  variety  of  imaginable  ways,  it  falls,  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  into  the  possession  of  a  stranger.  This  is  severely 
mortifying.  It  is  a  picture  of  the  vanity  of  the  world.  And  it 
is  "an  evil  disease;"  the  very  idea  of  having  the  means  of  enjoy- 
ment in  the  most  profuse  abundance,  and  yet  being  excluded  from 
the  capacity  of  using  them,  being  in  itself  enough  to  prey  upon 
the  spirits,  to  sink  them  to  the  dust,  to  produce  mental  malady, 
and  to  increase  and  hasten  forward  that  of  the  bodily  frame. 

I  am  aware,  that  by  some  the  character  here  described  is  under- 
stood to  be  that  of  the  miser;  and  the  want  of  "power  to  eat  there- 
of" to  mean  the  want  of  disposition,  or  the  absolute  unwilling- 
ness, which  forms  the  strange  distinction  of  this  anomalous  and 
pitiable  being,  to  make  any  use  of  his  j)Ossessions ;  to  take  any 
enjoyment  of  them.  And,  no  doubt,  this  is  well  named  "an  evil 
disease."  It  is  a  wasting  distemper  of  the  soul,  partaking  alike 
of  aberration  of  intellect  and  perversity  of  heart.  But  the  charac- 
ter of  the  miser  was  very  particularly  delineated  before, — in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  verses  of  the  fourth  chapter;  and  it  appears, 
therefore,  not  unreasonable  to  understand  the  passage  before  us, 
rather,  as  setting  forth  a  new  case. 

On  this  case  he  enlarges  in  the  following  verses;  introducing 
into  it  additional  particulars,  for  the  sake  of  giving  the  greater 
force  and  vividness  to  the  impression  of  it  upon  the  mind: — 

Verses  3-6.  If  a  man  heget  a  hundred  children,  and  live  manif 
years,  so  that  the  days  of  his  years  be  many,  and  his  soul  be  not  filled 
tvith  good,  and  also  that  he  have  no  burial;  I  say,  that  an  untimely 
birth  is  better  than  he.  For  he  cometh  in  ivith  vanity,  and  departeth 
loith  darkness,  and  his  name  shall  be  covered  with  darkness.  More- 
over, he  hath  not  seen  the  sun,  nor  known  any  thing:  this  hath  more 
rest  than  the  other.  Yea,  though  he  live  a  thousand  years  twice  told, 
yet  hath  he  seen  no  good.     Do  not  all  go  to  one  place  f 

The  case  here  is  still  that  of  a  man  of  wealth,  and  riches,  and 
honor.     But  to  these  are  superadded : — 

In  the  first  place,  A  numerous  family  of  children  and  grandchil- 
dren;— a  matter  of  fond  desire,  and  of  high  honor,  amongst  the 


ECCLESIASTES  VI.  1-12,  173 

Hebrews;  as  you  may  be  satisfied  by  simply  recollecting  how 
frequently  the  number  of  a  man's  immediate  descendants  is  par- 
ticularized in  the  account  given  of  him  in  the  Scripture  history. 
Suppose  him,  then,  to  have  ever  so  many, — "a  hundred  children :" 

Secondly,  Long  life: — an  object  of  desire,  not  to  the  Hebrews 
merely,  but  to  mankind  in  general ;  of  one  of  the  strong  instinctive 
washes  of  our  nature.  Every  man  desires,  and  every  man  hopes, 
to  live  long  upon  the  earth :  and  Satan  spoke  no  more  than  truth 
when  he  said,  "All  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life." 
All  goes  overboard  when  it  is  in  jeopardy.  Well :  suppose  him 
to  "  live  many  years,  so  that  the  days  of  his  years  be  many."  Let 
him  complete,  nay,  let  him  far  exceed,  the  ordinary  limit  of  the 
life  of  man. 

The  supposition  then  is,  that  even  with  these  additions  to  his 
wealth  and  honor,  " his  soul  is  not  filled  with  good;"  all  the  while, 
that  is,  he  has  had  no  capacity  of  enjoying  his  riches,  and  family, 
and  life;  for  the  expression  seems  to  be  evidently  equivalent  to 
that  in  the  second  verse,  not  having  "power  to  eat"  of  the  sub- 
.stance  God  hath  given  him : — all  the  days  of  his  protracted  time 
he  has  "eaten  in  darkness"  and  in  bitterness  of  spirit.  And  when 
he  comes  to  die,  and  to  number  the  last  of  his  "many  days,"  he 
"has  no  burial;"  no  respect  and  honor  in  his  death;  no  interment 
corresponding  to  his  w' ealth,  and  consequence,  and  station.  Many 
are  the  ways  in  which  we  may  imagine  this  to  happen.  The 
"stranger"  who  has  deluded  him  by  his  ingratiating  arts,  out- 
witted his  heirs,  and  got  possession  of  his  property,  having  had 
no  object  but  this  in  view,  having  been  influenced  by  considerations 
entirely  selfish,  now  that  his  end  is  gained,  may  care  little  about 
the  honorable  obsequies  of  the  man,  of  whom  he  has  got  all  that 
he  wanted.  He  who  courted  and  flattered  the  living,  may  thus 
neglect  and  spurn  the  dead.  Or,  even  his  children  themselves 
may  have  felt  and  acted  toward  him  in  a  similar  manner ;  loving 
the  money  more  than  the  man ;  wearying  for  the  old  fellow's  de- 
departure  ;  glad  to  have  him  out  of  the  way,  and  with  bare  decency 
to  thrust  him  into  his  grave, — that  they  may  part  amongst  them 
his  treasures.  Such  things  may  take  place,  without  supposing 
the  character  described  an  utterly  sordid  miser. 

Causes  of  a  very  different  kind  may  also  prevent  a  man  from 
^'having  burial."     He  may  die  amongst  strangers,  in  a  foreign 


174  LECTURE  X. 

clime;  he  may  be  cast  away  at  sea;  or  he  may  perish  on  land,  in 
circumstances  that  preclude  even  his  countrymen  and  friends  from 
doing  him  honor  at  his  death,  by  the  regular  rites  of  sepulture. 
But  the  strong  language  used  by  Solomon,  shows  that  he  meant 
something  more  than  the  mere  accidental  absence  of  the  funeral 
solemnity.  It  is  his  not  receiving  what  he  might  and  ought  to- 
receive.  The  man  is  represented  as  living  without  enjoyment,  and 
dying  without  honor: — his  life  resembling  the  fabled  punishment 
of  Tantalus  in  the  heathen  mythology,  from  whose  lips,  ever 
burning  with  unquenchable  thirst,  the  cooling  stream  receded  ere 
they  could  touch  it;  and  over  whose  head  hung  the  most  delicious 
fruits,  which  mocked  every  effort  to  reach  them  that  he  might 
satisfy  his  longing  appetite; — and  his  death,  notwithstanding  all 
his  wealth,  being  obscure  and  ignoble,  unfelt  and  unlamented. 

Such  is  the  case  supposed :  the  verdict  pronounced  upon  it  is,. 
"I  say,  that  an  untimely  birth  is  better  than  he:"  and  the  reasons, 
of  the  verdict  follow,  in 

Verses  4-6.  "For  he  cometh  in  with  vanity,  and  departeth  in 
darkness,  and  his  name  shall  be  covered  with  darkness.  Moreover,, 
he  hath  not  seen  the  sun,  nor  known  any  thing:  this  hath  more 
rest  than  the  other.  Yea,  though  he  live  a  thousand  years  twice 
told,  yet  hath  he  seen  no  good:  Do  not  all  go  to  one  place?" 

Most  commentators  understand  the  fourth  verse  as  referring  to 
the  abortion  ;  and,  consistently  witli  this  view  of  its  subject,  trans- 
late it — "although  it  cometh  in  with  vanity  and  departeth  in  dark- 
ness, and  its  name  shall  be  covered  with  darkness."  But  thi&. 
seems  to  me  very  unnatural.  "An  untimely  birth"  can  hardly 
with  any  propriety  be  spoken  of  as  coming  in  and  departing  at  all,, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  never  numbered  amongst  the  living,  nor  has  any 
place  in  the  society  or  the  habitations  of  men.  And  what  is  the- 
name  of  an  abortion?  or,  what  sense  is  there  in  speaking  of  its 
name  as  "  covered  with  darkness,"  when  the  thing  itself  has  never 
seen  the  light,  and  its  very  existence  has  been  unknown?  I  un- 
derstand the  verse,  therefore,  of  the  man  described  in  the  preceding, 
context,  and  as  assigning  Solomon's  reason  for  giving  the  prefer- 
ence to  "an  untimely  birth."  The  man  "cometh  in"  to  the  world 
"  with  vanity."  He  not  only  enters  on  a  life  which  at  the  best  is 
vain,  uncertain,  unsatisfying,  and  transitory ;  but  even,  as  to  this 
life,  having  "seen  no  good"  in  his  passage  through  it,  he  seems j, 


ECCLESIASTES  VI.  1-12.  175 

as  far  as  he  himself  is  concerned,  to  have  been  born  to  no  purpose, — 
for  no  end  or  use, — in  vain.  He  goes  through  the  period  of  his 
earthly  existence,  a  mere  passive  exemplification  of  the  utter  vanity 
of  expecting  sure  and  solid  happiness  from  the  present  world ;  and 
then  he  "departs  in  darkness,"  without  the  light  either  of  com- 
fort or  of  honor; — his  name  is  "covered  with  darkness;"  he  is 
immediately  forgotten ;  no  sooner  out  of  sight,  than  out  of  mind. 
The  fifth  verse,  however,  is  evidently  spoken  of  the  abortion : — 
"Moreover,  he  hath  not  seen  the  sun,  nor  known  any  thing:  this 
hath  more  rest  than  the  other."  It  is  true,  that  an  untimely  birth 
has  had  no  enjoyment;  but  neither  has  it  had  suffering;  or,  sup- 
posing it  to  have  had  life  when  born,  its  suffering  has  been  but 
momentary ;  and  it  is  with  the  condition  of  the  man  who  has  been 
troubled  and  tantalized  through  life,  and  unhonored  and  unla- 
mented  in  death,  that  its  destiny  is  compared.  The  comj)arison 
regards  the  absence  of  suffering,  rather  than  the  proportions  of 
positive  enjoyment: — "This  hath  more  rest  than  the  other;"  or, 
"this  hath  rest  rather  than  the  other;"  which,  in  the  jiresent  case, 
is  much  the  same  in  real  amount  with — "  this  hath  rest,  and  not 
the  other."  The  rest  of  the  grave  is  meant;  where  the  untimely 
birth  is  immediately  laid.  It  has  not  "seen  the  sun,"  indeed,  or 
enjoyed  the  cheering  light  of  heaven.  But  what  is  the  cheering 
light  of  heaven  to  the  man  whose  eye  it  gives  "to  see  no  good?" — 
to  whom  it  only  discloses,  day  after  day,  the  same  dreary  scenes 
of  woe?  The  abortion  has  the  advantage,  in  "not  having  known 
any  thing;"  for  it  is  better  to  know  nothing  at  all,  than  to  know 
nothing  but  trouble.  It  is  laid  in  the  grave,  without  having  tasted 
the  miseries  of  human  life ;  in  the  grave,  where,  amid  the  silence 
and  solitude  of  death,  the  cares  and  disappointments,  the  disquie- 
tudes, and  mortifications,  and  distresses,  of  this  world  are  neither 
felt  nor  dreamed  of.  It  would  have  been  better,  in  Solomon's 
judgment,  for  the  unhappy  being  he  had  depicted,  to  have  been 
"carried  from  the  womb  to  the  grave."  Such  was  the  wish  of  Job 
Avhen,  overwhelmed  with  accumulated  sufferings,  he  "opened  his 
mouth,  and  cursed  his  day:" — "Why  died  I  not  from  the  womb? 
why  did  I  not  give  up  the  ghost  when  I  came  out  of  the  belly? 
why  did  the  knees  prevent  me?  or  why  the  breasts  that  I  should 
suck?  For  now  should  I  have  lain  still,  and  been  quiet;  I  should 
have  slept;  then  had.  I  been  at  rest,  with  kings,  and  counsellors. 


176  LECTURE  X. 

and  princes :  or,  as  a  hidden  untimely  birth,  I  had  not  been ;  as 
infants  which  never  saw  light.  There  the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling ;  and  there  the  weary  be  at  rest.  There  the  prisoners  rest 
together;  they  hear  not  the  voice  of  the  oppressor.  The  small 
and  great  are  there,  and  the  servant  is  free  from  his  master. 
Wherefore  is  light  given  to  him  that  is  in  misery,  and  life  unto 
the  bitter  in  soul ;  who  long  for  death,  but  it  cometh  not ;  and 
^ig  for  it  more  than  for  hid  treasures;  who  rejoice  exceedingly, 
and  are  glad  when  they  can  find  the  grave?"  Job  iii.  11-22. 

These  words  of  bitter  complaining  from  the  lips  of  the  afflicted 
Patriarch  serve  further  to  illustrate  the  following  verse:  "Yea, 
though  he  live  a  thousand  years  twice  told,  yet  hath  he  seen  no 
good:  do  not  all  go  to  one  place?"  Suppose  the  life  of  this  hap- 
less being,  who  is  surrounded  with  means  of  enjoyment  which  he 
cannot  use,  were  prolonged  to  more  than  double  the  length  of  the 
longest  life  ever  spent  upon  earth, — yet,  if  he  "sees  no  good"  from 
its  commencement  to  its  close,  and  then  "  goes  to  one  place "  with 
the  abortion — even  to  the  grave,  the  place  of  perfect  equality,  the 
common  receptacle  of  corruption,  the  "  end  of  all  flesh ;"  is  not  the 
verdict  pronounced  in  the  third  verse  founded  in  truth — "I  say 
that  an  untimely  birth  is  better  than  he?"  Nothing  can  be  more 
preposterous,  than  to  attach  value  to  existence,  apart  from  enjoy- 
ment; as  if  it  were  better  to  he,  even  although  in  misery,  than  not 
■to  be  at  all.  The  measure  of  the  value  of  existence  is  simply  the 
-quantum  of  good  that  is  enjoyed  in  it.  When  we  speak  of  the 
cessation  of  being,  we  find  it  difficult  to  divest  ourselves  of  the 
impression  of  a  kind  of  dreary  consciousness  of  non-existence  as 
accompanying  it.  We  fancy  ourselves  continuing  to  be,  and  yet 
sensible  that  we  are  not.  I  need  not  say  that  such  feelings  are 
intirely  illusory.  The  cessation  of  existence  being  the  cessation 
of  all  consciousness,  he  who  ceases  to  be,  is  as  if  he  never  had 
been.  And  he  who  has  not  entered  on  life  at  all,  or  who  has  en- 
tered on  it  one  moment,  only  to  quit  it  t)ie  next,  has  a  preferable 
lot  to  that  of  him  who  has  lived  long,  but  lived  only  to  suffer. 

In  the  seventh  and  eight  verses,  we  have  a  further  illustration 
of  the  little  advantage,  as  to  the  things  of  time,  possessed  by  one 
man  above  another: — 

Verses  7,  8.  All  the  labor  of  man  is  for  Jm  mouth;  and  yet  the 


ECCLESIASTES  VI.  1-12.  177 

appetite  is  not  filled:  for  what  hath  the  wise  more  than  the  fool  f  what 
hath  the  poor,  that  hioioeth  to  walk  hefwe  the  living  f 

"All  the  labor  of  man  is  for  his  mouth;"  that  is,  the  direct 
and  leading  end  of  all  human  toil,  of  every  occupation  of  men,  in 
all  the  departments  of  society,  is  the  support  of  life.  This  is  first; 
and  every  thing  else  is  subordinate  to  it.  It  is  obviously  the  most 
important  result  of  human  effort  in  all  the  businesses  of  life ;  one 
to  which  every  other  will  be  readily  sacrificed ;  one  without  which 
no  other  could  be  enjoyed.  This  was  the  object  assigned  to  the 
labor  of  man,  when  the  ground  had  been  cursed  on  account  of  his 
sin : — "  Cursed  is  the  ground  for  thy  sake ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou 
eat  of  it  ail  the  days  of  thy  life;  thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it 
bring  forth  to  thee ;  and  thou  shall  eat  the  herb  of  the  field ;  in 
the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto 
the  ground ;  for  out  of  it  wast  thou  taken :  for  dust  thou  art,  and 
unto  dust  shalt  thou  return." — "He  that  laboreth,"  says  Solomon 
elsewhere,  "laboreth  for  himself;  for  his  mouth  requireth  it  of 
him."  Gen.  iii.  17-19.  Prov.  xvi.  26.  The  effect  of  human  la- 
bor, therefore,  is  chiefly  valuable  as  it  answers  this  end :  "  Take 
no  thought  for  your  life,"  said  he  who  had  the  correctest  estimate 
of  the  comparative  value  of  the  objects  of  desire, — "take  no  (anxious) 
thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink; 
nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more 
than  meat,  and  the  body  than  raiment?"  He,  then,  who  has  life 
sustained  by  his  labor,  has  the  first  end  answered  of  all  human 
exertion. 

"  Yet  the  appetite  is  not  filled."  This  is  true  of  all.  It  is  never 
durably  filled;  but  requires  to  have  its  cravings,  which  are  ever 
returning,  satisfied  anew  from  day  to  day.  And  the  cravings  of 
appetite  return  to  the  rich  as  well  as  to  the  poor.  The  former  as 
well  as  the  latter  can  only  take,  of  all  his  profuse  abundance,  as 
much  at  a  time  as  his  appetite  will  receive.  In  this  respect,  too, 
^'  what  hath  the  wise  more  than  the  fool  ?"  The  most  learned 
and  sagacious  of  men  has,  in  this  matter,  no  pre-eminence  over 
the  mere  idiot,  who,  by  some  means  or  other,  obtains  a  sufficiency 
of  food,  and  whose  appetite  relishes  it  as  well  as  the  other's.  The 
wise  man  can  neither  prevent  the  returnings  of  hunger ;  nor,  when 
they  do  return,  can  he  allay  them  more  effectually  than  tlie  fool. 
In  this  essential  point  of  human  comfort,  they  are  substantially 
12 


178  LBcrruKE  x. 

alike.  The  skilful  anatomist,  who  possesses  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance witH  the  whole  of  the  complicated  and  wonderful  mechanism 
of  the  human  frame,  and  the  man  who  knows  little  more  than  the 
difference,  in  properties  that  meet  the  senses,  between  the  flesh 
and  the  bones,  divide  and  masticate  their  food  by  the  same  instru- 
ments, and  receive  it  into  the  same  organ  of  digestion;  it  is  mixed 
with  the  same  juices,  undergoes  the  same  changes,  affords  the  same 
variety  of  secretions,  and  carries  the  same  nourishment,  through 
the  same  channels,  to  the  same  bodily  members,  which  all  occupy 
the  same  relative  positions,  and  respectively  fulfill  the  same  func- 
tions. 

''What  hath  the  poor,"  it  is  added,  "who  knoweth  to  walk  be- 
fore the  living?"  The  answer  is  not  directly  given:  but  it  seems 
to  me  to  be  indirectly  implied  in  the  ninth  verse : — 

Verse  9.  Better  is  the  sight  of  the  eyes  than  the  wandering  of  the 
desire. 

The  poor  that  knows  how  to  conduct  himself  with  propriety 
and  prudence,  maintaining  a  behavior  correspending  with  the  sta- 
tion assigned  him  among  the  living ; — who  is  ingenious,  industri- 
ous, obliging,  and  respected  accordingly,  enjoys  the  necessaries 
and  the  true  comforts  of  life  as  well  as  the  richest.  He  has  "  the 
sight  of  the  eyes,"  that  is,  he  has  substantial  p-esent  enjoyment  in 
what  he  obtains;  and  in  this,  being  satisfied  with  it,  possessing 
the  tranquillity  of  a  contented  spirit,  he  has  what  is  "  better," 
more  conducive  to  true  happiness,  than  the  unsatisfied  "wander- 
ing of  the  desire"  after  new  objects  of  pursuit;  which,  even  when 
successfully  attained,  leave  the  mind  still  craving,  never  disposed 
to  say.  It  is  enough.  This  incessant  restlessness  of  desire  after 
different  pleasures,  is  truly  "vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit;"  and 
it  is  a  vanity  and  vexation  to  which  they  are  especially  subject, 
who  set  their  hearts  on  the  wealth  and  gratifications  of  this  world 
as  their  portion. 

The  tenth  verse,  as  it  stands  in  our  English  translation,  is  ex- 
ceedingly obscure: — 

Verse  10.  That  which  hath  been  is  named  aheady,  and  it  is  knovm 
that  it  is  man.'  neither  may  he  contend  loith  him  that  is  mightier 
than  he. 

The  intention  of  the  writer  seems  to  be,  to  express  the  common 
frailty  and  vanity  of  the  nature  of  man,  as  having  been  the  same 


ECCLESTASTES  VI.  1-12.  179 

in  all  thathave  ever  existed;  and  the  verse  might  be  thus  rendered : — 
*'For  he  who  (or,  whosoever)  hath  been, — his  name  is  long  since 
named ;  *  and  it  is  known  what  he  is, — (even)  man  ;"  (or,  "  and  it  ia 
known  that  he  is  MAN :)  neither  may  he  contend  with  him  that  is 
mightier  than  he."  Take  any  person  that  has  existed,  or  that 
now  exists;  any  individual  of  the  present  or  of  former  genera- 
tions ; — whatever  may  have  been  his  station,  whatever  his  charac- 
ter; "his  name  has  been  long  since  named,"  God  having  of  old 
given  one  name  to  the  entire  race.  "Male  and  female  created  he 
them,  and  blessed  them;  and  called  their  name  Adam  in  the  day 
when  they  were  created."  The  name  signified  originally  their 
formation  from  the  dust;  but  it  came  afterwards  to  be  associat<:'d 
with  their  return  to  the  dust:  "Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  thou 
shalt  return."  This,  then,  is  the  state  and  doom,  the  origin  and 
the  end,  of  every  one  without  exception,  whose  name  is  man.  In 
his  best  estate,  he  is  altogether  vanity, — sinful  dust  and  ashes. 
And  as  God  formed  him  from  the  earth,  named  him  man,  and, 
when  he  sinned,  destined  him  to  earth  again;  it  is  in  vain  for  him 
to  "contend  with  him  that  is  mightier  than  he:"  his  "vanity," 
as  a  frail  and  mortal  creature,  being  the  result  of  Divine  appoint- 
ment, and  the  execution  of  a  Divine  sentence,  is  utterly  irretrieva- 
ble. All  must  submit  successively  to  the  same  doom ;  and  every 
attempt  to  avert  it  is  at  once  foolish  and  impious. 

Man,  then, -considered  in  himself,  is  vanity.  But  may  not  this 
"vanity,"  if  it  cannot  be  intirely  done  away,  be  at  least  lessened, 
and  the  "vexation"  arising  from  it  mitigated,  by  the  nature  of 
the  pursuits  to  which  man  devotes  himself  during  his  vain  life? 
The  answer  must  be,  Yes  ;  provided  we  include  amongst  these 
pursuits  ti'ue  religion,  which  constitutes  the  dignity  and  the  happi- 
ness of  every  rational  nature.  But  if  we  confine  our  regard  to 
those  pursuits  and  occupations  merely,  which  relate  to  the  present 
world,  and  which  are  limited  in  their  continuance  and  results  by 
the  few  days  of  man's  abode  upon  earth,  then  the  answer  is  to  be 
found  in  the  following  verse: — 

Verse  11.  Seeing  there  be  many  things  that  increase  vanity,  what 
is  man  the  better  f 

*  "  His  name  is  long  since  named."  I  have  thought  myself  justified  in  ren- 
dering the  word  ^2^  ^0'>^9  since.  It  occurs  only  in  this  Book,  chap,  i,  10.  iii. 
16.  vi.  10.  ix.  6.  "As  a  particle,  it  denotes,  a  considerable  length  of  time,  a 
good  while,  as  we  say,  poM,  or  to  come" — Parkhurst. 


180  LECTURE  X. 

Having  alluded,  in  the  tenth  verse,  to  the  vanity  of  the  nature 
of  man,  as  a  creature  of  the  dust,  and  doomed  to  dust  again;  he 
here  represents  this  original  and  inherent  vanity  of  his  fallen  na- 
ture as  "increased,"  instead  of  being  mitigated,  by  a  large  propor-^ 
tion  of  the  employments  of  mankind,  and  by  their  attempts  at  the 
attainment  of  happiness  from  earthly  sources  alone.  In  this  view, 
the  whole  of  the  preceding  part  of  the  book  is  a  comment  on  this 
verse.  "What  is  man  the  better"  of  all  these  attempts?  His 
temporal  comforts,  indeed,  both  personal  and  social,  may,  as  the 
result  of  some  of  them,  experience  improvement.  But  even  this 
cannot  be  effected  without  a  heavy  accompaniment  of  evil,  pro- 
ducing a  scene  so  checkered,  as  to  have  given  rise  to  many  de- 
bates, whether,  in  the  average  lot  of  man,  the  enjoyment  or  the 
suffering  preponderates : — and,  when  he  is  contemplated  in  the 
light  in  which  every  wise  and  good  being  must  regard  him,  as 
rational,  immortal,  and  accountable,  with  what  an  emphasis  of 
deep  concern,  may  the  question  be  asked,  "what  is  man  the 
better?"  How  frequently  is  he  the  worse  I  How  often  do  his 
various  engagements  draw  away  his  mind  from  the  only  true  source 
of  happiness !  How  few,  comparatively,  repair  to  it ! — how  many, 
alas !  to  the  "  springs  of  false  delight !"  And,  even,  as  to  temporal 
enjoyment,  how  often  are  the  anticipations  of  men, — their  fears  in 
one  quarter  and  their  hopes  in  another, — agreeably  or  bitterly  dis- 
ajjpointed ;  the  dreaded  evil  turning  out  for  good,  and  the  wished- 
for  good,  proving  the  occasion  of  evil ! 

Hence  it  is  added,  in  the  twelfth  verse: — 

Verse  12.  For  who  knoweth  what  is  good  for  man  in  this  life,  all 
the  days  of  his  vain  life,  which  he  spendeth  as  a  shadow  f  for  who 
can  tell  a  man  what  shall  be  after  him  under  the  sunf 

No  man  can  previously  affirm,  with  confidence,  what  situation 
will  be  best  for  him  in  this  life;  for  the  reason  just  hinted,  that 
the  very  objects  which  a  man  most  eagerly  covets  and  pursues,  in 
the  expectation  of  finding  happiness  from  them,  so  often,  when 
they  have  been  obtained,  bring  him,  instead  of  happiness,  disap- 
pointment, and  misery,  and  ruin ;  and  he  discovers  too  late  his 
error  and  miscalculation.  When  the  inquiry,  "Who  will  show 
us  any  good?"  is  confined  to  the  things  of  this  life,  it  can  receive 
no  satisfactory  answer;  no  answer  that  will  hold  permanently 
true.     It  must  be  continually  reiterated,  from  reiterated  disap- 


ECCLESIASTES  VI.  1-12.  181 

poiiitment;  each  source  successively  failing,  or  quickly  satiating, 
and  palling  upon  the  taste;  no  man  being  able  in  this  wilderness 
to  discover  for  himself,  or  to  point  out  to  others,  any  fountain  of 
pure  and  perennial  joy;  any  fountain  that  can  with  certainty  be 
depended  upon,  even  during  the  fleeting  years  of  a  single  life. 
Riches,  honors,  power,  and  pleasure,  and  even  knowledge  itself, 
all  are  precarious, — incapable  of  being  insured  even  for  the  short 
period  of  his  "vain  life,  which  he  speudeth  as  a  shadow;" — equally 
unsubstantial,  equally  transient,  and  equally  trackless.  "  Man 
that  is  born  of  a  woman — cometh  forth  as  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down ; 
he  fleeth  also  as  a  shadow,  and  continueth  not." — "  Our  days  on 
earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  no  abiding."  And  yet,  not 
only  is  it  impossible  to  secure,  for  the  brief  duration  of  this  vain 
and  shadowy  existence,  the  sources  of  enjoyment  recommended  by 
other  guides  and  other  teachers  than  Him  who  is  himself  the  Su- 
preme good;  but  even  while  they  last  they  are  unsatisfactory. 
With  a  precariousness  belonging  to  them  every  successive  mo- 
ment, they  unite  a  constant  feeling  of  present  deficiency.  And  in 
addition  to  this ;  a  man's  happiness,  in  as  far  as  it  depends  on  the 
possession  and  hope  of  earthly  things,  is  not  a  little  affected  by 
his  prospects  of  the  future,  as  well  as  by  what  is  at  the  moment 
passing  over  him; — by  the  use  that  may  be  made  of  his  substance 
when  he  has  left  it  behind  him;  by  the  reputation  in  which  his 
name  may  be  held  by  posterity;  by  what  he  imagines,  with  or 
without  reason,  may  befall  his  family;  and  by  other  anticipations 
of  a  similar  kind: — yet  of  such  things  he  is  utterly  ignorant,  and 
all  around  him  are  as  ignorant  as  himself.  No  one  can  open  to 
him  the  secrets  of  futurity:  "for  who  can  tell  a  man  what  shall 
be  after  him?"  His  "  vain  life"  must  speedily  come  to  a  close; 
and  this  must  terminate,  completely  and  for  ever,  all  his  connec- 
tions with  this  world ;  so  that  he  can  no  more  have  "  a  portion  in 
any  thing  that  is  done  under  the  sun."  Hoav  inexpressibly  light 
and  worthless,  then,  are  all  those  pursuits  that  end  at  the  grave, 
and  that  leave,  even  to  the  most  successful  of  their  votaries,  the 
moment  he  has  closed  his  eyes  on  time,  no  profit,  no  result,  nothing 
whatever, — but  that  which  he  has  vainly  estimated  as  the  prize 
of  life;  leaving  him,  alas!  a  blank  for  eternity! 

Must  the  question,  then,  as  to  "what  is  best  for  a  man  all  the 
days  of  his  vain  life,"  be  left  without  an  answer?     Is  there  no 


182  LECTUEE   X. 

one  that  knows  it,  and  can  furnish  a  satisfactory  reply?  Yes,  my 
friends,  i£  is  answered;  answered  by  unerring  knowledge  and 
supreme  authority; — it  is  answered  in  this  blessed  book  of  God; 
of  which  the  leading  and  all-gracious  design  is,  to  show  us  the 
way  to  true  happiness  both  here  and  hereafter.  Here  multitudes 
have  found  it;  and  many  of  them,  after  having  run  the  whole 
round  of  earthly  pleasures  in  the  vain  pursuit.  They  have  at 
length  renounced  these  empty  or  polluted  cisterns,  and  have  learned 
to  "draw  water  with  joy  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation."  They 
have  found  in  the  Creator,  to  whom  the  lessons  of  the  Bible  di- 
rected them,  what  they  sought  with  no  success  from  the  creature. 
They  have  "wept  a  silent  flood"  over  their  former  follies;  and 
"the  Father  of  mercies"  has  wiped  the  tears  of  penitential  sorrow 
from  their  eyes,  and  filled  their  souls  with  his  own  peculiar  joys. 
Having  "  tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,"  they  have  learned  to 
say,  with  delight  unfelt  before,  "The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith 
my  soul ;  therefore  will  I  hope  in  him :" — "It  is  good  for  me,  that 
I  draw  near  unto  God :" — "  Men  of  the  world  have  their  portion 
in  this  life:  as  for  me,  I  will  behold  thy  face  in  righteousness;  I 
shall  be  satisfied  when  I  awake  with  thy  likeness  :" — "  Blessed  be 
the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed 
us  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ:" — 
"Thanks  be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable  gift!" 

The  favor  of  God,  the  service  of  God,  and  the  "good  hope 
through  grace"  possessed  by  the  children  of  God, — these  are  "good 
for  a  man," — these  are  good  for  every  man,  "all  the  days  of  his" 
otherwise  "vain  life."  "He  has  showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is 
good:  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly, 
to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God?" — "Blessed 
is  the  man  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  delighteth  greatly  in  his* 
commandments :" — "  Blessed  is  tlie  people,  whose  God  is  the  Lord !" 

Human  life,  considered  in  itself,  apart  from  its  connection  with 
eternity,  is  vanity;  a  fleeting  shadow;  a  fading  flower;  a  vapor 
that  endureth  for  a  moment,  and  then  vanisheth  away.  Man, 
contemplated  merely  as  the  possessor  of  such  a  life,  is  vanity;  a 
creature  formed  of  the  dust,  and  soon  to  return  to  the  dust  again : — 
all  his  pursuits,  be  they  what  they  may,  that  arc  confined  to  this 
transitory  and  precarious  existence,  are  vanity;  and  all  will  be 
found  in  the  end,  as  they  have  many  a  time  been  found  in  present 


ECOLESIASTES  VI.  1-12.  183 

experience,  to  be  "vexation  of  spirit."    If  this  lesson  is  not  learned, 
with  salutary  effect,  in  this  world,  it  will  be  learned  in  all  the 
everlasting  anguish  and  unavailing  desperation  in  the  next.     Oh ! 
if  the  soul,  when  trembling  on  the  verge  of  eternity,  when  the 
last  fibre  of  the  thread  of  life  is  parting,  can  only  look  backward 
with  tormenting  regret,  and  forward  with  more  tormenting  doubt 
and  despair ! — what  a  state  for  an  immortal  and  accountable  crea- 
ture ! — to  feel  the  torturing  conviction,  that  he  has  been  trifling, 
or  worse  than  trifling,  all  his  days ;  that  he  has  thrown  his  life 
away  on  "vanity,"  and  has  nothing  left  as  the  result  but  "vexation 
of  spirit;"  that  it  is  too  late  to  make  provision  for  the  world  to 
come,  and  which  is  just  opening  to  him  in  all  its  darkness,  and  all 
its  unknown  terrors;  that  he  has  finished  and  sealed  the  "senseless 
bargain"  (Oh  how  bitterly  does  he  feel  it  to  be  so?)  of  "Eternity 
for  bubbles;"  that  he  has  bartered  and  damned  his  soul  for  the 
"pleasures  of  sin"  and  the  worthless  nothings  of  a  world  that 
has  passed  away  from  him !     It  is  not  necessary  that  a  man  should 
have  "  seen  no  good,"  or  should  have  had  "  no  power  to  enjoy  " 
his  "  riches,  and  wealth,  and  honors,"  and  family,  in  order  to  his 
feeling  their  emptiness  in  his  latter  end,  when  his  soul  is  absorbed 
in  one  grand  concern,  and  longs  for  a  peace  and  a  hope  which  they 
are  incapable  of  imparting.     Even  though  he  had  derived  from 
them  through  life  the  whole  amount  of  pleasure  which,  without 
the  influence -of  true  religion,  it  is  in  their  power  to  bestow;  ^till, 
it  is  pleasure  that  is  gone  with  each  passing  moment,  and  leaves 
the  soul  at  last  drearily  desolate,  and  unprovided  for  the  boundless 
prospect  that  lies  before  it.     He  has  "  received  in  his  life-time  his 
good  things,"  and  all  must  be  left  behind  him.    He  has  lived  with- 
out God,  and  without  God  he  must  die.     His  life  has  been  faithless, 
and  his  death  must  be  hopeless.     He  has  laid  up  for  himself  treas- 
ures on  earth,  and  there  is  no  treasure  reserved  for  him  in  heaven. 
He  has  said  to  his  soul,  "Thou  hast  goods  laid  up  for  many  years; 
take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry;"  and  when  "  his  soul  is 
required  of  him,"  he  feels  himself  "  a  fool."     He  "  came  in  with 
vanity,"  and  he  "  departeth  in  darkness."     It  is  the  everlasting 
existence  by  which  it  is  followed  that  stamps  importance  on  the 
life  of  man.    Should  a  man  double  the  age  of  Methuselah,  his  life 
(though  to  us,  with  our  narrow  span  of  threescore  years  and  ten, 
it  might  seem  like  a  little  eternity,)  would  still  be  vanity,  if  it 


184  LECTURE  X. 

were  spent  without  reference  to  the  endless  duration  that  is  beyond 
it.  Another  year,  my  friends,  has  just  gone  over  us,  and  is  now 
as  irrecoverable  as  "  the  years  before  the  flood."  But,  Oh  remem- 
ber, it  will  not  have  as  little  influence  on  our  future  destinies. 
Ask  yourselves  how  it  has  been  spent.  Ask  yourselves  how  all 
the  years  of  your  past  life  have  been  spent.  How  many  have  you 
lived?  and  what  have  you  been  doing?  Have  you  anticipated 
eternity?  Have  you  made  any  provision  for  your  immortal  ex- 
istence? Have  you,  in  the  way  of  his  own  appointment,  secured 
the  blessing  of  God,  and  a  title  to  the  inheritance  above?  Are 
there  not  many  of  my  hearers  whose  consciences  say  No  to  such 
inquiries? — who  have  lived  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  sixty,  nay,  per- 
haps fourscore  years,  "  without  God  in  the  world," — "  without 
Christ  and  without  hope?"  Oh!  trifle  no  longer  with  interests 
of  such  tremendous  magnitude.  "  Live  not  the  rest  of  your  time 
in  the  flesh,  to  the  lusts  of  men,  but  to  the  will  of  God."  "Choose 
the  good  part  that  shall  never  be  taken  away  from  you."  "  Seek 
ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found;  call  upon  him  while  he  is 
near."  "  The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say.  Come;  and  let  him  that 
heareth  say,  Come;  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  come,  and  take 
of  the  water  of  life  freely." 


LECTURE   XI. 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6. 

"  A  good  name  (is)  better  tlian  precious  ointment :  and  the  day  of  death  than 
the  day  of  one's  birth.  2.  (It  is)  better  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning 
than  to  go  to  the  house  of  feasting :  for  that  (is)  the  end  of  all  men ;  and  the 
living  will  lay  (it)  to  his  heart.  3.  Sorrow  (is)  better  than  laughter:  for 
by  the  sadness  of  the  countenance  the  heart  is  made  better.  4.  The  heart 
of  the  wise  (is)  in  the  house  of  mouning;  but  the  heart  of  fools  (is)  in  the 
house  of  mirth.  5.  (It  is)  better  to  hear  the  rebuke  of  the  wise  than  for  a 
man  to  hear  the  song  of  fools.  6.  For  as  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a 
pot,  so  (is)  the  laughter  of  the  fool.     This  also  (is)  vanity." 

Having  represented,  in  a  great  variety  of  views,  the  vanity  of 
human  life,  and  of  its  numerous  and  diversified  pursuits,  Solomon 
now  proceeds  to  set  before  us  the  counsels  of  wisdom,  for  the  re- 
gulation of  our  desires  and  the  guidance  of  our  conduct  in  this 
vain  and  transitory  world.  Some  of  these,  like  many  of  the  say- 
ings of  our  Divine  Lord,  stand  in  direct  opposition  to  the  ordi- 
nary sentiments  and  practices  of  mankind.  But  they  are  not,  on 
t;his  account,  the  less  worthy  of  our  most  serious  attention :  for  it 
need  not,  surely,  be  matter  of  surprise,  that  the  thoughts  and  the 
feelings  of  a  fallen  and  depraved  creature,  whose  heart  is  corrupt, 
and  whose  understanding  is  the  dupe  of  its  corruption,  should  not 
coincide  with  the  mind  of  the  infinitely  wise  and  the  infinitely 
holy; — that  to  such  a  creature  the  directions  and  admonitions  of 
Heaven  should,  in  many  instances,  appear  paradoxical  and  ex- 
travagant. 

Verse  1.  A  good  name  is  better  than  precious  ointment;  and  the 
day  of  death  than  the  day  of  one\s  birth. 

Perhaps  this  might,  without  impropriety,  be  considered  as  a  re- 
ply to  the  question  in  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter :  >'  Who 


186  LECTURE   XI. 

knoweth  what  is  good  for  man  all  the  days  of  his  vain  life  which  he 
spendeth  as  a  shadow?  for  who  can  tell  a  man  what  shall  be  after 
him  under  the  sun  ?"  There  is  one  thing,  answers  Solomon,  which 
is  eminently  good  for  a  man;  good  while  he  lives,  and  the  pos- 
session of  which  will  render  the  day  of  his  death  even  better  than 
the  day  of  his  birth ;  it  is  "A  GOOD  name."  This  will  bless  his 
life,  and  embalm  his  memory.  But,  respecting  "a  good  name," 
several  things  are  carefully  to  be  observed.  In  the  first  place,  it 
means  more  than  merely  being  well  spoken  of.  A  man  may  be  well 
spoken  of,  nay,  may  even  acquire  high  renown,  who,  judging  on 
Scripture  principles,  ought  rather  to  be  condemned;  the  world 
very  frequently,  in  their  estimate  of  character,  not  only  allowing 
a  little  apparent  good  to  compensate  for  much  real  evil,  but  even 
"calling  good  evil,  and  evil  good;  putting  darkness  for  light,  and 
light  for  darkness ;  bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for  bitter."  Many, 
alas !  are  the  instances,  in  which  "  that  which  is  highly  esteemed 
amongst  men  is  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God."  A  good  name, 
in  the  Scriptural  use  of  the  phrase,  is  a  reputation  for  what  is  truly 
good;  for  piety,  wisdom,  integrity,  benevolence,  and  other  genu- 
ine excellences  of  character.  It  is  further  to  be  noticed,  that  the 
reputation  must  be  considered  as  including  the  reality, — the  actual 
possession  of  the  virtues  that  are  the  ground  of  praise.  A  reputa- 
tion, indeed,  for  qualities  which  we  are  conscious  to  ourselves  we 
do  not  possess,  so  far  from  imparting  any  true  satisfaction  to  the 
mind,  must,  on  the  contrary,  occasion  the  most  painful  emotions  ot 
vexation,  and  shame,  and  self-reproach.  Whilst  there  remains  a 
spark  of  generous  and  honest  feeling  in  the  bosom,  nothing  can 
be  more  distressing  than  unmerited  commendation. 

Rightly  understood,  then, — as  signifying  a  reputation  founded 
in  the  real  possession  of  what  is  truly  good,  good  in  the  sight  of 
God, — "a  good  name  is  better  than  precious  ointment."  Two 
qualities  are  expressed  by  the  comparison.  It  is  pleasant,  and  it 
is  valuable;  as  the  ointment  is  odoriferous,  and  costly.  "Ointment 
and  perfume  rejoice  the  heart:  so  doth  the  sweetness  of  a  man's 
friend  by  hearty  counsel:" — "Because  of  the  savor  of  thy  good 
ointments,  thy  name  is  as  ointment  poured  forth;  therefore  do  the 
virgins  love  thee :" — "  Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  it,  for 
brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity !  It  is  like  the  precious  oint- 
ment upon  the  head,  that  ran  down  upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's 


ECCLESIASTES   VII.  1-6.  187 

beard;  that  went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his  garments:" — "Mary 
took  a  pound  of  ointment  of  spikenard,  very  costly,  and  anointed 
the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair :  and  the  house 
was  filled  with  the  odor  of  the  ointment."  Prov.  xxvii.  9.  Cant, 
i.  3.  Psalm  cxxxiii.  1,  2.  John  xii.  3.  These  passages  show  the 
ground  for  both  the  ideas  which  we  conceive  the  comparison  to 
express.  But  the  sign  falls  far  below  the  thing  signified,  both  in 
its  pleasantness  and  its  preciousness. 

A  good  name  is  to  its  possessor  a  source  of  pure  and  exquisite 
enjoyment;  gratifying  in  a  high  degree  to  his  feelings,  when  it  is 
not  pronounced,  by  a  secret  consciousness,  to  be  intirely  unfoun- 
ded. It  is  pleasant  as  the  fragrance  of  rich  perfume;  sweet  and 
refreshing,  soothing  and  exhilarating  to  the  soul.  The  sweetness 
of  it  should  be  estimated  by  the  bitterness  of  its  opposite. 

But  it  is  not  merely,  nor  chiefly,  as  a  source  of  pleasure  to  a 
man's  own  mind,  that  a  good  name  is  to  be  prized : — it  is  of  more 
substantial  value,  as  an  important  qualification  for  usefulness.  The 
power  of  any  man  to  do  good  depends",  in  an  eminent  degree,  on 
the  reputation  he  enjoys.  His  character  multiplies  his  opportuni- 
ties, inspires  confidence,  gives  weight  to  his  counsels,  and  free- 
dom, and  energy,  and  effect,  to  all  his  doings.  To  the  man  of  in- 
consistency it  will  be  said  with  scorn,  "Physician,  heal  thyself;" 
but  he  whose  reputation  is  established  for  uniform  integrity,  pos- 
sesses a  winning  and  commanding  influence,  which  he  may  turn 
to  most  profitable  account,  in  the  cause  of  truth,  benevolence,  and 
piety.  It  is  our  duty,  therefore,  to  desire  "a  good  name;"  not 
merely  on  its  own  account,  or  for  the  satisfaction  it  affords  to  our- 
selves, but  for  the  sake  of  its  utility,  in  enabling  us  the  more  effectu- 
ally to  promote  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of  men.  It  gives 
us,  to  use  the  language  of  mechanics,  a  rest,  and  a  'purchase,  in  ad- 
vancing every  good  work,  which  nothing  else  whatever  can  fur- 
nish. For  this  reason,  they  are  decidedly  and  very  far  in  the 
wrong,  who  despise,  or  rather,  perhaps,  who  affect  to  despise,  "a 
good  name,"  and  to  pour  contempt  on  the  opinion  of  the  world, 
and  disregard,  as  unworthy  of  their  notice,  whatever  men  may  say 
of  them.  It  is  true  that  our  first  and  highest  concern  should  be, 
to  "commend  ourselves  unto  God;"  and,  compared  with  this,  it 
should  be  "a  light  thing"  with  us  "to  be  judged  of  man's  judg- 
ment."    It  is  also  true,  that  we  should  employ  no  means  of  ob- 


188  LECTURE  XI. 

taining  a  character  amongst  men  but  the  direct  and  honorable 
means  of  a  steady  and  consistent  deportment;  the  cultivation  and 
the  display  (not  the  ostentatious,  but  the  unobtrusive  and  una- 
voidable display)  of  real  goodness, — goodness  that  follows  its  every- 
day course  of  well-doing, — 

"  Holds  the  noiseless  tenor  of  its  way," — 

neither  courting  observation  nor  shrinking  from  it;  not  varnish- 
ing itself  with  a  false  lustre,  but  appearing  in  all  its  native  sim- 
plicity and  loveliness ;  not  shadow,  but  substance ;  not  tinsel,  but 
bullion.  Whilst  all  this  is  readily  conceded;  still  we  maintain, 
that  to  be  totally  unconcerned  whether  we  be  slandered  or  ap- 
proved, whether  "our  good  be  well  or  evil  spoken  of,"  is  as  im- 
moral as  it  is  unnatural.  The  same  apostle  who  counted  it  "a 
light  thing  to  be  judged  of  man's  judgment,"  and  kept  in  mind 
that  "he  that  judged  him  was  the  Lord,"  was,  at  the  same  time, 
earnestly  solicitous,  and  took  measures  of  prudent  precaution  ac- 
cordingly, to  "provide  for -honest  things,  not  only  in  the  sight  of 
the  Lord,  but  also  in  the  sight  of  men ;"  he  denied  himself,  and 
declined  the  benefit  of  his  just  rights,  that  he  "might  cut  off  oc- 
casion from  them  that  desired  occasion"  to  reproach  and  calumni- 
ate him;  and  this,  for  the  very  reason  we  have  been  assigning,  a 
regard  to  his  official  usefulness, — "  lest  he  should  hinder  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ."  The  same  principle  is  involved,  also,  in  the  pro- 
cept,  "Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may  see  your 
good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven." 

"And  the  day  of  death  (is  better)  than  the  day  of  one's  birth." 
This  seem  a  strange  saying.  The  birth  of  a  child  is  a  season  of 
gladness,  gratulation,  and  festivity.  The  death  of  the  same  child, 
when  it  has  advanced  to  manhood  or  to  age,  is  the  occasion  of  sor- 
row and  bitter  lamentation.  It  comes  into  the  world  amidst  re- 
joicings, and  leaves  it  amidst  tears.  Yet  it  is  here  affirmed  that 
"the  day  of  death  is  better  that  the  day  of  one's  birth."  The  af- 
firmation may  be  understood  in  different  ways : — 

It  may  be  interpreted  generally,  in  connection  with  the  view 
given  of  the  vanity  and  vexation  of  the  life  of  man.  It  may  be 
the  sentiment  of  chapter  iv.  1-3,  generalized;  applied  to  human 
life  on  the  whole,  instead  of  being  confined  to  one  particular  de- 
partment of  observation:  as  if  he  had  said,  Seeing  "all  is  vanity 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6.  189 

and  vexation  of  spirit," — seeing  there  are  so  many  springs  of  bitter 
water  in  this  valley  of  tears,  of  which  all  who  pass  through  it 
must  drink,  the  man  whose  journey  has  terminated  is  more  en- 
viable than  he  who  has  it  yet  to  begin ;  to  the  former  all  its  evils 
having  ended  in  the  grave, — the  land  of  deep  forgetfulness,  where 
"the  weary  are  at  rest."  The  truth  of  the  sentiment,  in  this 
general  view  of  it,  is  proportioned  to  the  measure  of  suffering  en- 
dured by  the  person's  self,  or,  to  the  increase  of  his  own  unhappi- 
ness  in  consequence  of  the  sufferings  Avitnessed  by  him  in  others. 

But  if  we  adopt  this  principle  of  explanation,  it  is  evident,  we 
must  stop  short  at  the  grave.  We  must  contemplate  man  simply 
as  passing  through  this  world,  and  the  grave  as  the  close  of  his 
journey, — the  boundary  of  his  course.  Now,  we  can  hardly  for  a 
moment  suppose  that  Solomon  meant  we  should  look  no  further; 
that  we  should  consider  man  merely  as  the  creature  of  a  day, — ■ 
his  life  limited  by  the  little  span  of  "  threescore  years  and  ten," 
cut  off  from  all  connection  with  a  life  to  come.  Yet  if  we  do  look 
beyond  the  grave,  we  must  necessarily  introduce  into  the  senti- 
ment before  us  certain  limitations  and  distinctions.  It  certainly 
is  not  true  respecting  all  who  die,  that  the  day  of  their  death  is 
better  than  the  day  of  their  birth.  To  many  it  is  fearfully  the 
reverse.  And  perhaps,  as  I  before  noticed,  the  distinction  is 
hinted  by  the  connection  of  the  saying  with  that  which  precedes; 
the  superiority  of  death  to  birth  being  affirmed  only  of  the  man 
who  possesses  "a  good  name,"  in  the  sense  we  have  affixed  to  the 
phrase. 

We  rejoice  when  a  man  is  born  into  the  world.  The  joy  is 
natural;  nor  is  there  any  impropriety  in  it.  But  let  me  suppose 
for  a  moment,  that  we  were  let  into  the  secret  of  the  little  stran- 
ger's future  history;  and  suppose  he  were  exhibited  by  the  Oracle, 
tormented  by  incessant  disease,  crossed  and  fretted  by  perpetual 
disappointments  and  vexations;  every  blossom  and  promise  of 
personal  and  social  joy  invariably  and  intirely  blasted;  a  man  of 
sorrows,  and  familiar  with  griefs: — how  completely  then  would 
our  feelings  of  gladness  be  changed  to  those  of  heaviness  and  an- 
guish! This  would  be  the  case,  even  viewing  things  with  reference 
to  the  present  life  alone:  and  too  often  is  the  birth  of  a  child,  with 
inconsiderate  and  vacant  listlessness,  thought  of  in  no  other  light. 
But  what  is  the  event  in  reality?     It  is  the  entrance  of  an  im- 


190  LECTUEE    XI. 

mortal  creature  on  an  interminable  existence.  Yes; — that  little 
feeble  babe,  that  hangs  in  dependent  helplessness  upon  the  breast, 
is  a  child  of  immortality.  When  you  have  numbered  the  sands 
of  the  ocean,  you  will  not  have  numbered  the  years  of  its  existence. 
There  resides  in  that  tender  little  frame  a  spiritual  substance,  a 
soul,  which  death  cannot  touch,  possessing  powers  capable  of  in- 
definite, and  eternal  expansion,  and  susceptibilities  of  everlasting 
enjoyment  or  of  unending  woe; — a  spirit,  that  "smiles  at  the  drawn 
dagger,  and  defies  its  point;"  that  shall  "  triumph  in  immortal 
youth;"  that  is  destined  to  live,  as  long  as  God  himself.  Suppose, 
then,  we  could  get  still  farther  into  the  future  history  of  the  babe 
that  has  just  made  its  entrance  into  our  world,  and  is  passing 
through  it  to  another: — suppose  we  could  find  access  to  the  book 
of  Heaven's  decrees,  and  could  ascertain  its  eternal  destiny;  and 
were  infallibly  assured,  that  after  a  life  of  unintermitted  suffering 
here,  it  was  to  sink  into  an  eternity  of  woe : — Oh !  should  we  not 
then  weep  over  him  tears  of  blood?  should  we  not  wring  our 
hands,  in  speechless  agony,  over  his  little  cradle,  and  be  ready  to 
"open  our  mouth  and  to  curse  his  day?"  Surely  it  could  not  then 
be  true,  that  the  day  of  death  would  be  better  than  the  day  of 
birth.  No ;  for  there  can  be  no  suffering  here,  comparable  to  the 
misery  of  hell.  The  sentiment  we  should  then  utter,  would  be, — 
"Good  were  it  for  that  child,  if  it  had  never  been  born!" 

The  saying  before  us,  then,  must  be  confined  to  the  wise  and  the 
good;  to  the  children  of  God;  those  who  have  believed  his  word, 
and  walked  in  his  ways,  and  have  had  "a  good  name"  in  "the 
Lamb's  book  of  life."  Of  them  it  is  emphatically  true;  true  in  all 
its  extent  of  meaning;  true,  not  only  when  this  life  has  been  a  life 
of  unusual  suffering — when  they  go  to  heaven  "out  of  great  tribu- 
lation;" but  true,  even  taking  life  in  its  "best  estate,"  freest  of  evil 
and  fullest  of  good.  This  is  the  language  alike  of  the  Old  and  of 
the  New  Testament  records.  To  such,  death  is  a  salvation;  a  sal- 
vation from  sin,  and  from  all  the  evil  of  which  sin  is  the  cause.  The 
day  of  birth  is  the  day  of  entrance  on  a  sinful,  and  therefore  on  a 
suffering  world :  the  day  of  death  is  the  day  of  entrance  on  a  sinless, 
and  therefore  a  perfectly  happy  world.  "To  die  is"  thus  "gain." 
"  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord." — "  They  shall  hunger 
no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more,  neither  shall  the  sun  light  on 
them,  nor  any  heat :  for  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6.  191 

shall  feed  them,  and  shall  lead  them  unto  living  fountains  of  waters ; 
and  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes."  The  passage 
through  Jordan  into  the  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  was 
better  to  the  Israelites  than  the  passage  through  the  Red  Sea  into 
the  difficulties,  and  dangers,  and  distresses  of  "  the  waste  howling 
wilderness." 

Our  journey  through  this  world  is  toward  that  which  is  eternal. 
How  long  it  is  to  be,  or  how  short,  we  are  all  equally  ignorant.  But 
the  prime  concern  is,  with  regard  to  each  of  us,  that,  however 
short  or  however  long,  it  may  end  well.  Consequences  unuttera- 
bly important — interests  of  eternal  moment — depend  on  its  ter- 
mination. Yet,  alas !  such  is  the  natural  earthliness  of  our  minds, — 
such  the  fascinating  and  seductive  influence  of  "the  things  that 
are  seen," — that  although  we  know  and  acknowledge  them  to  be 
but  temporal,  they  are  ever  excluding  from  our  thoughts  and 
desires  the  "things  that  are  unseen,"  though  they  are  eternal. 
Alas!  for  the  wisdom  of  human  nature; — alas!  for  the  boasted 
prudence  of  rational  ^nd  calculating  man,  that  it  should  be  so ! 
But  that  it  is  so,  we  cannot  cast  even  a  hasty  glance  upon  the 
world, — we  cannot  turn  our  eye  inward  for  a  moment  to  the  se- 
crets of  our  own  hearts, — without  the  sad  conviction  forcing  itself 
upon  our  minds.  The  man  must  have  renounced  all  pretensions 
to  soundness  of  intellect  and  rectitude  of  feeling,  who  will  not  ad- 
mit the  importance  of  immortal  creatures  considering  with  seri- 
ousness the  prospects  that  are  before  them;  laying  to  heart  the 
things  that  belong  to  their  everlasting  peace,  and  not  sacrificing 
eternity  to  time,  excellent  and  ever-during  joys  for  the  paltry 
vanities  of  the  world  and  "  the  pleasures  of  sin  which  are  but  for 
a  season."  But  if  this  be  granted, — if  such  consideration  be  the 
wisdom  of  such  creatures ; — then,  whatever  has  any  tendency  to 
correct  the  deceptions  of  time,  and  to  keep  men  in  mind  of  eterni- 
ty, to  counteract  the  power  of  sensible  objects,  and  to  give  pre- 
dominant influence  to  those  that  are  spiritual,  must  be  infinitely 
"  better," — more  conducive  to  the  true  interests  of  mankind, — 
than  what  has  a  contrary  tendency ; — a  tendency  to  aid  the  natural 
depravity  and  worldliness  of  the  heart,  in  blinding,  alluring,  and 
bewitching  men,  to  their  endless  ruin. 

It  is  on  this  principle,  that  the  maxims  contained  in  the  follow- 
ing verses  are  founded: — 


192  LECTURE  XI. 

Verses  2-4.  It  is  bdtei-  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning,  than  to  go 
to  the  house  of  feasting :  for  that  is  the  end  of  all  men  ;  and  the  living 
mil  lay  it  to  his  heart.  Sorrow  is  better  than  laughter:  for  by  the 
sadness  of  the  countenance  the  heart  is  made  better.  The  heart  of 
the  wise  is  in  the  house  of  mourning :  but  the  heart  of  fools  is  in  tJie 
house  of  mirth. 

"  It  is  better  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning," — the  house  where 
Death  has  paid  his  gloomy  visit,  and  has  spread  his  pall  over  the 
light  of  domestic  joy, — "than  to  go  to  the  house  of  feasting," 
where  all  is  gaiety  and  merriment,  and  animal  indulgence.  The 
reason  of  the  preference  is  assigned : — "  for  that,"  namely  death, 
and  the  mourning  attending  it,  "is  the  end  of  all  men;  and  the 
living  will  lay  it  to  his  heart."  The  general  tendencies  of  the  two 
contrasted  scenes  are  thus  expressed.  It  is  not  to  beinferred  that 
in  every  case  it  is  wrong  to  go  to  a  "  house  of  feasting."  Our 
blessed  Master,  though  "  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  and  separate 
from  sinners,"  graced  a  marriage-feast  with  his  presence,  and  sup- 
plied, by  miracle,  the  means,  not  of  inebriation,  (infinitely  far  from 
our  minds  be  such  a  thought !)  but  of  innocent  convivial  cheerful- 
ness:— and  the  apostle  Paul,  when  he  makes  the  supposition  of 
Christians  being  "bidden  to  a  feast"  by  "any  of  them  that  be- 
lieve not,"  lays  them  under  no  prohibition  of  compliance,  should 
they  be  "  disposed  to  go,"  but  only  cautions  them  as  to  some  parts 
of  their  conduct  while  there.  John  ii.  1,  etc.  1  Cor.  x.  27,  etc.  There 
are  joyous  seasons,  and  occurrences  in  life,  when  we  may,  without 
impropriety,  unbend  ourselves  in  social  festive  enjoyment:  al- 
ways taking  heed,  that  we  keep  within  the  limits  of  Christian 
temperance ;  and  never  forgetting  the  Divine  Author  of  all  our 
blessings,  and  our  obligations  to  use  them  to  his  glory.  But  still, 
the  house  of  feasting  has  peculiar  temptations.  Its  general  tenden- 
cy, proved,  alas !  by  much  mournful  experience,  is  to  produce  for- 
getfulness  of  God  and  of  spiritual  things;  to  fill  the  mind  with 
worldly  vanities;  to  dissipate  serious  impressions;  and  thus,  in- 
stead of  counteracting,  to  aid  the  deceptions  of  time  and  sense. 
"  The  harp  and  the  viol,  the  tabret  and  pipe,  and  wine,  are  in 
their  feasts :  but  they  regard  not  the  work  of  the  Lord,  neither 
consider  the  operation  of  his  hands." — "They  lie  upon  beds  of 
ivory,  and  stretch  themselves  upon  their  couches,  and  eat  the  lambs 
out  of  the  flock,  and  the  calves  out  of  the  midst  of  the  stall.    They 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6,  193 

chant  to  the  sound  of  the  viol,  and  invent  to  themselves  instruments 
of  music  like  David:  they  drink  wine  in  bowls,  and  anoint  them- 
selves with  the  chief  ointments:  but  they  are  not  grieved  for  the 
affliction  of  Joseph." — "Job's  sons  went  and  feasted  in  their 
houses,  every  one  his  day;  and  sent  and  called  for  their  three 
sisters,  to  eat  and  to  drink  with  them.  And  it  Avas  so,  when  the 
days  of  their  feasting  were  gone  about,  that  Job  sent  and  sanctified 
them,  and  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  offered  burnt-oiferings 
according  to  the  number  of  them  all,  for  Job  said,  It  may  be  that 
my  sons  have  sinned,  and  cursed  God  in  their  hearts.  Thus  did 
Job  continually."  Isa.  v.  12.  Amos  vi.  4-6.  Job.  i.  4,  5. 

In  the  house  of  mourning,  on  the  contrary,  lessons  the  most 
salutary,  in  regard  to  the  best  interests  of  men,  are  presented,  with 
awakening  energy,  to  the  mind;  lessons  which,  alas!  we  are  all 
of  us  too  prone  to  forget,  and  of  which  the  very  frequency  of  repe- 
tition is  ever  apt  to  diminish  the  vividness  of  the  impression.  We 
are  there  reminded  of  "the  end  of  all  men;"  and  reminded,  conse- 
quently, of  our  own.  The  tendency  of  such  scenes  is,  to  lead  "the 
living  to  lay  this  to  heart ;"  to  induce  to  serious  reflection  on  the 
past,  and  anticipation  of  the  future;  to  bring  home  to  the  secret 
meditations  of  each  man's  bosom  the  prospect  that  awaits  himself; 
and  to  press  upon  his  consideration  the  all-important  question, 
how  he  may  meet  the  closing  scene  in  peace  and  hope. 

And  is  it  not  a  desirable  thing,  that  the  living  should  consider 
their  latter  end  ? — that  they  should  think,  with  seriousness,  of  the 
events  that  are  before  them; — of  death,  and  judgment,  and  eterni- 
ty?— No,  says  the  man  of  this  world.  Such  thoughts  and  antici- 
pations are  inconsistent  with  present  enjoyment,  which  is  every 
man's  present  concern:  they  produce  dejection  and  gloom;  they 
drive  men  mad.  Why  torment  ourselves  before  the  time?  Why 
torture  the  present  moment  by  anticipating  moments  that  are  far 
away? — "begone,  dull  care!"  Let  us  catch  the  pleasures  of  the 
passing  hour !  Let  us  pluck  the  rose  before  it  withers !  Let  us 
not,  like  fools,  conjure  up  the  phantoms  of  to-morrow,  to  scare 
away  the  joys  of  to-day !  Let  us  not  throw  over  our  present  sun- 
shine the  shadows  of  a  future  darkness! — Ah!  vain  man!  and 
will  this  thoughtlessness  prevent  the  approaches  of  Death,  or  keep 
thy  latter  end  at  a  distance?  Will  it  arrest  the  flight  of  that 
"numbered  hour"  that  shall  lay  thee  with  the  dead,  and  summon 
13 


194  LECTURE  XI. 

thy  parting  spirit  to  the  judgment-seat  of  God?  Will  Death  spare 
you,  because  you  laugh  him  to  scorn ;  or  the  evil  hour  linger,  be- 
cause you  do  not  prepare  for  its  coming  ?  O  remember,  that  which 
is  far  off  in  your  imagination  may  be  very  near  at  hand  in  reality. 
AVhilst  the  rich  man,  in  the  parable,  was  saying  to  his  soul,  "  Thou 
hast  much  goods  laid  up  for  many  years;  take  thine  ease;  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry ;  God  said  to  him.  Thou  fool !  this  night  thy 
soul  shall  be  required  of  thee:  then  Avhose  shall  those  things  be 
which  thou  hast  provided?" 

The  language  of  Solomon,  in  this  passage,  implies  his  knowledge 
and  firm  conviction  of  a  future  state  of  happiness  and  misery.  For, 
if  death  were  "the  end  of  all  men,"  as  to  their  existence,  it  would 
be  difficult  to  establish  the  wisdom  of  his  maxims.  "Let  us  eat 
and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die,"  might  then  be  pleaded  for  as 
the  most  rational  principle  of  human  conduct;  and  the  libertine 
might  maintain  a  successful  argument  with  the  moralist  and  the 
divine.  But,  taking  the  case  as  it  really  stands,  nothing  can  be 
conceived  of  greater  consequence  than  to  persuade  men  to  "  lay  to 
heart"  their  state  and  their  prospects,  and  to  provide  for  the  happi- 
ness of  a  never-ending  existence.  If  this  object  is  gained  by  af- 
fliction, affliction  is  the  greatest  blessing  of  a  man's  life;  the  kindest 
appointment  of  a  beneficent  providence.  If  the  "heaviness"  that 
springs  from  trouble  issues  in  "the  joy  of  God's  salvation;"  if  the 
darkness  of  sorrow  introduces  into  the  soul  the  light  of  spiritual 
and  everlasting  gladness ;  what  cause  has  the  patient  to  say, — "  It 
was  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted !" 

"  Sorrow  is  better  than  laughter."  Is  this  the  sentiment  of  a 
morose  and  cynical  misanthrope  ? — or  of  an  infatuated  and  gloomy- 
minded  devotee?  Certainly,  adversity  is  not  in  itself  jsreferablo 
to  prosperity.  Solomon  does  not  say  it  is.  But  adversity  has 
many  a  time  produced  effects  more  truly  and  permanently  bene- 
ficial than  prosperity.  There  is  a  mighty  ditference  between  the 
Divine  and  the  human  estimate  of  things.  If  a  man's  spiritual 
advantage  is  promoted  by  suffering,  he  is,  in  God's  account,  a  great 
gainer;  and  if  his  prosperity  either  prevents  him  from  thinking 
of  higher  blessings,  or  entices  away  those  aftections  that  had  been 
fixed  upon  them,  he  is  an  unspeakable  loser.  The  words  of  Solomon 
express  the  result  of  experience,  and  are  dictated,  not  by  cynical 
moroseness,  but  by  genuine  enlighted  benQvolence; benevolence  that 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6.  195 

is  chiefly  concerned  about  the  highest  interests  of  men.  The  reason 
of  the  preference  given  of  sorrow  to  laughter  is,  that  "  by  the  sad- 
ness of  the  countenance  the  heart  is  made  better."  And  the  rea- 
son is  just  and  weighty.  The  improvement  of  the  character  in  its 
inward  principles — the  establishment  and  promotion  of  true  re- 
religion  in  the  soul — of  the  highest  and  purest  affections  of  which 
the  heart  is  susceptible — is  an  end  incomparably  more  excellent 
than  the  acquisition  of  any  temporal  benefit,  and  cheaply  purchased 
by  the  loss  of  it.  And  such  is  the  spiritual  tendency  of  sorrow, 
springing  from  affliction ;  opposed  to  that  of  thoughtless  incon- 
siderate mirth.  The  troubles  of  life  are  here  supposed  to  produce 
sadness.  They  are  not  in  themselves  "joyous,  but  grievous." 
"  Ye  are  in  heaviness  through  manifold  trials."  But  the  sadness 
conduces  to  spiritual  profit;  and  this  is  the  ground  of  the  prefer- 
ence. When  the  Nile  overflowed  the  adjacent  lands  in  Egypt,  all 
around  would  wear  the  aspect  of  desolation  and  dreariness :  but 
when  the  flood  subsided,  it  left  fertility  and  wealth  behind  it,  and 
supplied  food  and  life  to  millions.  So  is  it  when  the  floods  of 
tribulation  rest  for  a  time  on  the  heart ;  they  serve  to  meliorate 
the  soil,  to  soften  and  enrich  it,  and  prepare  for  a  more  abundant 
produce  of  the  fruits  of  righteousness.  This  is  the  gracious  de- 
sign of  God,  their  heavenly  Father,  in  all  the  afflictions  allotted 
by  him  to  his  children.  "  We  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  who 
corrected  us,  -and  we  gave  them  reverence :  shall  we  not  much 
rather  be  in  subjection  to  the  Father  of  spirits,  and  live?  For  they 
verily  for  a  few  days  chastened  us,  after  their  own  pleasure;  but 
he  for  our  profit,  that  we  may  be  partakers  of  his  holiness.  Now, 
no  affliction  for  the  present  seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous  : 
nevertheless  afterward,  it  yielded  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteous- 
ness, unto  them  who  are  exercised  thereby."  Heb.  xii.  9-11.  The 
humbling  and  otherwise  salutary  efl'ect  of  such  correction  is  finely 
expressed  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah:  "I  have  surely  heard  Eph- 
raim  bemoaning  himself  thus ;  Thou  hast  chastised  me,  and  I  was 
chastised,  as  a  bullock  unaccustomed  to  the  yoke ;  turn  thou  me, 
and  I  shall  be  turned,  for  thou  art  the  Lord  my  God.  Surely 
after  that  I  was  turned,  I  repented ;  and  after  that  I  was  instructed, 
I  smote  upon  my  thigh:  I  was  ashamed,  yea,  even  confounded, 
because  I  did  bear  the  reproach  of  my  youth.  Is  Ephraim  my 
dear  son  ?    Is  he  a  pleasant  child  ?    For  since  I  spake  against  him  I 


196  LECTURE  xr. 

do  earnestly  remember  him  still ;  therefore  my  bowels  are  troubled 
for  him;' I  will  surely  have  mercy  upon  him,  saith  the  Lord." 
Jer.  xxxi.  18-20. — "Before  I  was  afflicted,"  says  David,  "I  went 
astray;  but  now  have  I  kept  thy  word." — "It  was  good  for  me 
that  I  was  afflicted;  that  I  might  learn  thy  statutes."  Psalm  cxix. 
67,  71.  And  whilst  such  has  been  the  experience  of  God's  chil- 
dren, as  to  the  influence  of  sanctified  afflictions  in  cherishing  in 
their  souls  the  principles  of  vital  godliness:  those  that  were  far 
from  God  and  far  from  righteousness  have  been  not  seldom  in- 
debted to  them,  as  the  means  of  their  first  excitement  to  religious 
concern,  and  of  their  turning  from  the  error  of  th  eir  way.  Even 
the  hardened  Manasseh,  branded  with  impiety  and  oppression,  and 
stained  w^ith  innocent  blood,  with  whom  warning  and  expostula- 
tion had  been  vain, — "when  he  was  in  affliction  besought  the  Lord 
his  God,  and  humbled  himself  greatly  before  the  God  of  his  fathers, 
and  prayed  unto  him ;  and  He  was  entreated  of  him,  and  heard  his 
supplication,  and  brought  him  again  to  Jerusalem,  into  his  king- 
dom. Then  Manasseh  knew  that  the  Lord  he  was  God."  2  Chron. 
xxxiii.  12,  13. 

The  "laughter"  of  which  Solomon  speaks,  is  the  laughter  of  the 
fool ;  that  thoughtless  mirth,  which  excludes  reflection ;  dissipates 
the  mind;  unfits  it  for  every  thing  serious;  and  leaves  the  heart 
worse  instead  of  better.     On  these  accounts : — 

Verse  4,  "  the  heart  of  the  wdse  is  in  the  house  of  mourning ;  but 
the  heart  of  fools  is  in  the  house  of  mirth." 

"The  wise"  may  be  understood  either  of  the  man  M'ho  is  un- 
der the  predominant  influence  of  that  "  fear  of  the  Lord,  which  is 
wisdom;"  or  of  the  man  who  consults  his  own  best  interests,  pur- 
suing the  best  ends  by  the  best  means.  These,  indeed,  are  pro- 
perly descriptions  of  but  one  character.  The  best  and  highest 
ends  are,  without  all  question  and  beyond  all  comparison,  those 
which  relate  to  our  connections  with  God,  and  to  our  eternal  ex- 
istence. He  is  truly  "  wise  for  himself,"  who  "looks  not  at  things 
seen,  which  are  temporal,  but  at  things  unseen,  which  are  eternal." 
And  this  right  estimate  of  the  things  of  time  and  of  eternity  will 
ever  be  found  in  union  with  the  fear  of  God.  The  everlasting 
welfare  of  the  whole  man,  for  which  God  has  graciously  made  pro- 
vision by  the  gospel,  is  the  highest  good  on  which  the  heart  can 
fix  its  desires.     We  need  not  be  surprised  that  "the  heart  ot  the 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.   1-6.  VJ7 

fool  should  be  in  the  house  of  mirth."     The  fool's  objeet  is  present 
pleasures ;  and  of  pleasure  he  has  formed  a  miserably  false  eon- 
oeption.     His  grand  inquiry  is,  how  he  may  most  effeetually  ban- 
ish all  care  from  his  mind;  how  he  may  drive  away  every  thing- 
gloomy,  by  which  he  means  especially  every  thing  serious,  and  pass 
his  time  most  lightly  and  pleasantly;  that  is,  with  the  least  possi- 
ble intrusion  of  reflection,  or  of  anticipation.     For  these  ends,  he 
makes  choice  of  the  "  house  of  mirth  "  and  "  feasting."     He  would 
be  always  in  it,  drinking  down  care,  and  laughing  at  melancholy. 
The  longer  he  pursues  his  career  of  thoughtlessness,  thoughtless- 
ness becomes  the  more  necessary  to  his  peace.     Incessant  mirth 
becomes  the  more  iudisj^ensable,  as  its  intervals  become  the  more 
irksome.     His  heart  is  in  the  house  of  mirth.    The  house  of  mourn- 
ing he  never  frequents  from  choice ;  never  sets  his  foot  on   its 
threshold  but  from  unavoidable  necessity.     The  "wise  man,"  on 
the  contrary,  is  considerate.     He  "  looks  before  and  after."     He 
reflects  on  the  past;  he  contemplates  the  present;  he  anticipates  the 
future.     He  is  a  man  of  thought.     Feeling  himself  sinful,  and  , 
knowing  himself  accountable  and  immortal,  his  state  before  God, 
and  his  prospects  for  eternity,  are  the  chief  subjects  of  his  concern. 
Profiting  by  the  experience  of  others,  and  by  his  own;  convinced 
from  both,  that  "it  is  better  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning  than 
to  go  the  house  of  feasting;  that  sorrow  is  better  than  laughter, 
for  tliat  by  the  sadness  of  the  countenance  the  heart  is  made  better;" 
"his  heart  is  in  the  house  of  mourning."     He  goes  thither  "not 
by  constraint,  but  willingly."     It  is  his  choice:  not  so  much,  in- 
deed, that  he  may  learn  any  thing  new,  as  that  he  may  have  truths 
more  deeply  impressed  upon  his  mind,  which  it  is  of  the  last  im- 
portance for  him  to  remember  and  habitually  to  feel,  but  which, 
he  is  deeply  sensible,  he  is  continually  prone  to  let  slip.     The 
wise  man  and  the  fool  may  thus  be  distinguished  by  their  respec- 
tive likings.     The  former  would  prefer  going  to  the  "house  of 
mourning"  to  read  anew  a  lesson  of  serious  and  salutary  wisdom, 
to  spending  hours  of  thoughtless  levity  and  laughter  in  the  house 
of  mirth.     There  cannot  be  a  more  decisive  evidence  of  folly,  than 
when  nothing  gives  any  pleasure  but  merriment  and  frivolity. 
He  who  cannot  converse  with  eternity — he  who  cannot  look  for- 
ward to  death  and  judgment — without  feeling  an  interruption  of 
his  pleasure;  without  a  cold  misgiving  of  heart  and  !i  fretful  im- 


198  LECTUEE  xr. 

patience  to  get  rid  of  the  unwelcome  and  intrusive  thoughts;  is  in 
a  state  of'  mind  far  from  such  as  any  truly  wise  man  can  desire 
for  himself;  or  any  truly  benevolent  man  can,  without  emotions 
of  the  deepest  concern,  contemplate  in  others. 

Verse  5.  It  is  better  to  hear  the  rehnke  of  the  wise,  than  for  a  man 
to  hear  the  song  of  fools. 

The  "song  of  fools"  is  one  of  the  modes  of  expressing  that 
"mirth"  which  had  just  been  mentioned  in  the  fourth  verse,  as 
characterizing  the  "house"  which  fools  love  to  frequent.  It  is 
the  jovial  utterance  of  either  the  profligate  sensuality,  or  the  un- 
reflecting and  empty  levity,  of  the  fool's  mind.  To  "hear  the 
jjong  of  fools"  is  to  court  their  company,  and  participate  in  their 
irrational  pleasures;  of  which  the  tendency  is  to  assimilate  the 
character  to  theirs;  to  banish  thought;  and  to  inspire  a  relish  for 
dissipation  and  insensate  merriment  and  riot.  With  this  is  con- 
trasted the  advantage  of  "hearing  the  rebuke  of  the  wise."  Ke- 
buke  is  of  all  things  the  most  unpalatable  in  itself.  But  many 
things  are  salutary  that  are  bitter,  and  many  things  sweet  that  are 
destructive.  Let  the  youth  who  feels  the  inclination  to  frecjuent 
the  "house  of  mirth,"  and  to  "hear  the  song  of  fools,"  listen  to 
the  "rebuke  of  the  wise,"  who,  in  pity  to  his  soul,  dissuades,  ex- 
postulates, and  reproves.  The  indulgence  of  his  propensity  may 
be  more  agreeable  at  the  time;  but  the  end  will  be  poignant  and 
unavailing  regret  that  the  "rebuke"  was  disregarded.  Be  as- 
sured, it  is  infinitely  better  to  choose  and  to  frequent  the  company 
of  those  who  will  deal  faithfully  with  your  faults,  and  rebuke  and 
correct  your  errors  even  with  a  salutary  severity,  than  to  associate 
Avith  such  as  will  regale  you  with  the  poisoned  sweets  of  flattery; 
applaud  you  in  your  follies;  extol  your  spirit;  encourage  you  in 
your  schemes  of  frolic  or  of  mischief;  laugh  at  your  jests;  clap  your 
toasts;  and  join  the  chorus  of  your  jovial  songs.  "Pie  that  re- 
gardeth  reproof  shall  be  honored." — "He  that  refuseth  instruc- 
tion despiseth  his  own  soul :  but  he  that  heareth  reproof  getteth 
understanding." — "He  that  walketh  with  wise  men  shall  be  wise: 
but  a  companion  of  fools  shall  be  destroyed." — "  Let  the  righteous 
smite  me;  it  shall  be  a  kindness  :  and  let  him  reprove  me;  it  shall 
be  an  excellent  oil,  that  shall  not  break  my  head :  for  yet  my 
prayer  also  shall  be  in  their  calamities."  Prov.  xiii.  18.  xv.  32. 
xiii.  20.     Psalm  cxli.  5. 


JiCCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6.  199 

Wliilst,  from  the  company  and  counsels  of  the  wise,  and  the  les- 
sons of  the  house  of  mourning,  there  accrues  the  most  valuable 
and  lasting  benefit, — happiness,  sterling  in  its  nature  and  eternal 
in  its  duration; — on  the  contrary. 

Verse  6.  As  the  cracklmg  of  thorns  under  a  pot,  so  is  the  laughter 
of  the  fool.   This  also  is  vanity. 

CWld  any  similitude  be  more  strikingly  descriptive?  The  blaze 
of  dry  thorns  is  sudden,  noisy,  and  cheerful.  But,  enlivening  as 
it  is  while  it  lasts,  it  is  as  transient  as  it  is  sprightly.  It  sub- 
sides as  quickly  as  it  rises.  The  bickering  flame  is  soon  extinguish- 
ed, having  only  served  to  make  the  gloom  the  deeper;  and  nothing 
is  left  behind  but  unsightly  and  unprofitable  ashes.  Kindled 
"under  a  pot,"  it  Avants  that  steady  intensity  of  heat  that  is  ne- 
cessary to  any  powerful  or  permanent  effect  upon  its  contents ;  so 
that  even  while  it  lasts  it  docs  little  service.  "So  is  the  laughter 
of  the  fool."  It  is  mirthful  and  boisterous,  and,  for  the  time,  looks 
like  happiness.  But,  like  the  blaze  of  dried  thorns,  it  is  soon 
over ;  and  it  leaves  no  profit.  It  has  answered,  and  even  that  in 
appearance  only,  the  care-killing  end  of  the  moment:  but  the  sub- 
sequent dulness  and  ennui  are  only  the  deeper.  "  The  end  of  that 
mirth  is  heaviness,"  And  when  the  days  of  such  laughter  shall 
be  exhausted,  then  will  come  the  sad  fulfillment  of  the  Saviour's 
words, — "Woe  unto  you  that  laugh  now!  for  ye  shall  mourn  and 
wee])."  Well  then  may  we  adopt,  respecting  such  laughter,  the 
verdict  formerly  pronounced  upon  it, — "I  said  of  laughter,  It  is 
mad  ;  and  of  mirth.  What  doeth  it?" 

1.  From  this  passage,  observe,  wi,  the  first  j^lace;  that  the  benefit 
derived  from  visits  to  "the  house  of  mourning"  should  not  be 
merely  our  own.  We  ought  to  frequent  it,  not  only  that  we  our- 
selves may  learn  the  spiritual  lessons  which  are  taught  us  by  its 
scenes  of  woe ;  but  that  we  may  impart  consolation,  and  support, 
and  profit,  to  its  sorrowing  inmates;  that  we  may  wipe  the  tear 
from  the  eye  of  grief;  pour  the  oil  of  soothing  sympathy  into 
the  wounded  spirit;  bind  up  the  broken  heart;  draw  the  souls  of 
the  mourners  to  God ;  impressing  on  their  minds  the  Divine  in- 
tention in  every  trial ;  spiritualizing  their  meditations  and  de- 
sires; and  rendering  the  feelings  of  nature  subservient  to  the  pur- 
poses of  grace.  Our  own  distresses,  and  our  own  consolations, 
are  intended  by  the  God  that  afflicts  and  comforts  us,  to  fit  us  for 


200  LECTURE  XI. 

such  visits  of  mercy ; — to  qualify  us  for  the  house  of  mourning; — 
to  make  lis  experienced  comforters.  "  Blessed  be  God," — says  the 
suffering  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, — "  Blessed  be  God,  even  the  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of 
all  comfort;  who  comforteth  us  in  all  our  tribulation,  that  we 
may  be  able  to  comfort  them  who  are  in  any  trouble,  by  the  com- 
fort wherewith  we  ourselves  are  comforted  of  God !"  Thus,  by 
the  religion  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  selfishness  is  excluded  from  every 
tiling.  Our  very  trials  are  not  sent,  nor  our  consolations  under 
them  administered,  for  ourselves  alone.  To  ourselves,  indeed, 
they  are  precious  and  life-giving;  but  on  ourselves,  whether  we 
be  ministers  or  private  Christians,  the  design  of  them  does  not 
terminate.  The  example  of  our  Divine  Master  is  an  example  of 
benevolence  and  love: — "Look  not  every  man  on  his  OAvn  things, 
but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others :  let  this  mind  be  in 
you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus."  Phil.  ii.  4,  5.  And  even 
HE  is  represented  as  having  learned  sympathy,  and  skill  in  the 
adrainfstration  of  comfort,  by  his  experience  of  suffering : — "  We 
have  not  a  high  priest  who  cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling 
of  our  infirmities,  but  who  was  in  all  points  tried  like  as  we  are, 
yet  without  sin :" — "  for  in  that  he  himself  hath  suffered,  being 
tried,  he  is  able  to  succour  them  that  are  tried :" — "  though  he  were 
a  Son,  yet  learned  he  obedience" — the  difficulties  and  trials  at- 
tending it, — "by  the  things  which  he  suffered."  Heb.  iv.  15.  ii. 
18.  V.  8.  Thus  his  sufferings  were,  in  every  way,  turned  to  ac- 
count, for  the  benefit  of  his  people. 

2.  In  ilie  second  place;  Remember,  the  time  is  fast  approaching, 
Avhen  the  dwelling-place  of  every  one  of  us  shall,  in  reference  to 
ourselves,  become  the  "house  of  mourning."  This  is  "appointed 
unto  all."  jSTeither  riches,  nor  jjower,  nor  learning,  nor  love,  nor 
friendship,  can  possibly  avert  it.  Death's  impartial  visits  are  paid 
alike  at  the  palace  and  the  cottage.  Remember,  then,  the  solemn 
time  is  coining,  when,  either  suddenly,  or  by  the  gradual  ravages 
of  disease,  we,  like  others,  must  "  go  the  way  Avhence  we  shall  not 
return."  The  time  is  coming,  when  we  shall  be  laid  on  our  sick- 
bed ;  when  the  messages  of  anxious  friends  shall  be  brought  in 
whispers  to  our  door ;  when  the  parting  sigh  shall  pass  our  lips ; 
Avhen  we  shall  be  stretched  in  our  shroud,  cold  and  insensible; 
when  agonized  relatives  shall  steal  in  silence  to  our  apartment, 


ECCLESIASTES    VII.    1-6.  201 

with  gentle  step  and  timid  hand,  as  if  afraid  of  disturbing  our 
slumbers ;  lift  the  covering  from  our  face,  to  gaze,  in  pensive 
anguish,  on  our  altered  features,  and  to  drop  the  last  warm  tear 
on  our  feelingless  cheek ;  when  the  company  of  mourners  shall 
assemble,  to  convey  our  mortal  remains  to  their  long  home;  and 
when,  "the  earth  having  returned  to  the  dust  as  it  was,  and  the 
spirit  of  God  avIio  gave  it,"  "the  place  that  now  knows  us,  shall 
know  us  no  more:" — when  all  those  affecting  lessons,  Avhich  we 
have  so  often  learned  from  the  death  of  others,  shall  be  learned 
by  others  from  ours.  O  the  blessedness  of  having  a  good  hope,  in 
that  infinitely  momentous  crisis,  when  we  must  part  from  all  be- 
low, and  part  for  ever! — that  survivors,  whilst  they  mourn  our 
departure,  may  say  over  our  grave,  with  well-founded  assurance, — 
"Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord!" 

3.  Lastly;  From  such  passages  as  this,  the  author  of  this  book  has 
sometimes  been  condemned  and  scouted,  as  a  gloomy  and  morose 
moralist;  a  cynical  philosopher;  contemplating  human  life  through 
the  distorted  medium  of  a  disappointed  and  imbittered  spirit;  dis- 
posed to  aggravate  all  its  evils;  to  depreciate  all  its  enjoyments;  to 
frown  on  its  harmless  pleasures;- and  determined  to  be  pleased  with 
nothing.     Let  us  consider  this  view  of  his  character. 

(1.)  Those  who  bring  the  charge  should  know  that  a  difficulty  has 
at  times  been  felt  by  some,  to  vindicate  him  from  the  very  opposite 
imputation.  His  language,  in  some  parts  of  the  book,  is  such, 
that  they  have  been  surprised  and  startled  by  it,  and  have  felt  it 
less  easy  of  reconciliation  than  any  other  parts  of  the  Bible,  with 
the  lessons  of  Christian  soberness  and  spirituality  of  mind;  and 
they  have  been  at  a  loss  what  answer  to  make,  when  it  has  been 
(pioted  by  the  laughing  sceptic  as  a  sanction  for  enlarged  indul- 
gence in  the  gratifications  of  a  present  world.  Now,  should  not 
this  lead  both  to  suspect  that  they  are  alike  misapprehending  his 
meaning,  and  that,  as  he  cannot  be  justly  chargeable  with  both 
extremes,  he  is,  in  fact,  chargeable  with  neither? 

(2.)  A  great  part  of  what  dissatisfied  and  harassed  the  mind  of 
Solomon  was,  not  the  evils  suffered  by  himself,  but  those  which 
he  saw  or  knew  to  be  endured  by  others.  We  have  had  a  speci- 
men of  this  in  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  chapter: — "So  I  re- 
turned, and  considered  all  the  oppressions  that  are  done  under  the 
sun:  and  behold  the  tears  of  such  as  were  oppressed,  and  they  had 


202  LECTURE  xr. 

no  comforter;  and  on  the  side  of  their  oppressors  there  was  power; 
but  they  liad  no  comforter.  Wherefore  I  praised  the  dead  that 
are  already  dead,  more  than  the  living  that  are  yet  alive.  Yea, 
better  is  he,  than  both  they,  who  hath  not  yet  been,  who  hath  not 
seen  the  evil  work  that  is  done  under  the  sun."  Are  not  these 
praise-worthy  feelings?  Is  there  no  credit  due  for  the  benevol- 
ence, which  was  thus  made  unhappy  by  the  woes  of  others?  Shall 
we  condemn,  as  a  gloomy  and  cynical  misanthrope,  the  Christian 
poet,  the  delicate  and  tender-hearted  Cowper,  when,  over-whelmed 
by  the  contemplation  of  human  guilt  and  human  suifering,  his 
benevolent  spirit  bursts  forth  in  the  utterance  of  indignant  grief:-— 

"O  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilderness, 
Some  boundless  continuity  of  shade, 
Where  rumor  of  oppression  and  deceit. 
Of  unsuccessful  or  successful  war, 
Might  never  reach  me  more!  My  ear  is  pain'd, 
My  heart  is  sick,  with  every  day's  report 
Of  wrong  and  outrage,  with  which  earth  is  fill'd." 

(3.)  When  he  does  express  dissatisfaction  with  life,  os  to  his  own 
jpersonal  enjoyment  of  it,  it  is  not  on  account  of  the  evils  that  had 
befallen  hi  in.  The  feelings  which  lie  expresses  are  not  those  of  a 
man  fretted  and  alienated  from  the  world  by  the  injuries  done  to 
him,  and  longing  to  be  away  from  the  society  and  sight  of  beings 
whom  he  hates  and  contemns.  Neither  are  they  the  feelings  of 
impiety,  irritated  by  the  unpropitious  dealings  of  Providence; 
charging  God  foolishly,  and  thinking  ho  "does  well  to  be  angry 
even  unto  death;"  opening  his  mouth  in  blasjihemy  against  the 
Author  of  his  existence,  and  the  ordainer  of  his  lot.  The  com- 
plaints he  utters  are  not  complaints  of  evil  suffered,  but  of  the 
unsatisfactory  nature  of  good  enjoyed.  Of  this  he  possessed  a  rich 
and  enviable  abundance  and  variety ;  as  much  as  could  well  fall 
to  the  lot  of  man. — Be  it  so — you  are  ready  to  say, — and  does 
this  mend  the  matter?  Why,  it  is  Avorse  than  the  other.  We 
can  find  some  grounds  of  apology  for  his  repinings  who  has  been 
the  victim  of  incessant  disappointment,  vexation,  and  calamity. 
Eut  here  was  nothing  of  the  kind.  What  ailed  the  man?  to  be 
dissatisfied  and  full  of  complaints,  when  there  was  nothing  in  his 
condition  but  good!  What  thankless  ingratitude!  what  unrea- 
.sonable,  capricious,  intolerable  discontent! — No,  my  friends.    His 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  1-6.  203 

feelings  were  not  thus  destitute  of  reason  and  piety.  The  cause 
of  the  dissatisfaction  expressed,  it  is  no  difficult  matter  to  assign. 
The  good  in  question  was  all  pursued,  obtained,  possessed,  and 
enjoyed,  apart  from  God.  It  was  then, — in  "the  days  of  his  vanity," 
it  failed  to  yield  any  solid  enjoyment:  and  when  he  came  to  him- 
self, he  felt  the  cause  of  the  failure,  and  recorded  the  salutary  les- 
son. And  O  that  the  lesson,  the  dictate  of  his  dear-bought  ex- 
perience, were  written  in  every  heart! — "graven  as  with  an  iron 
pen  and  lead  in  the  rock  for  ever !" — that  all  has  been,  is,  and 

MUST  BE,  UNPRODUCTIVE  OF  HAPPINESS,  WITHOUT  GOD  ; — "VANI- 
TY OF  VANITIES,  ALL  IS  VANITY." 

But  Solomon  did  not  do  the  world  justice.  It  was  not  a  fair 
experiment.  A  chemist,  when  he  wishes  to  ascertain  the  virtues, 
of  any  substance,  takes  care  to  separate  from  it,  as  thoroughly  as 
he  can,  all  extraneous  ingredients,  that  he  may  have  it  unmixed, 
and  thus  obtain  a  correct  result.  When,  in  like  manner,  our  ob- 
ject is  to  ascertain  the  capacity  of  any  thing  to  impart  pleasure, 
ought  we  not,  on  the  same  principle,  to  divest  ourselves  to  what- 
ever has  any  tendency  to  interfere  with,  or  to  mar,  the  enjoyment 
it  seems  fitted  to  afford? — Solomon  perhaps  tried  to  do  this.  But 
he  could  not.  He  had  too  much  remaining  of  tlie  religious  im- 
pressions of  his  earlier  days,  for  making  the  experiment  with  fair- 
ness. He  knew  God  too  well — the  God  of  his  father;  from  whom 
he  had  received  the  solemn  paternal  charge,  which  he  never  could 
obliterate  from  his  remembrance, — "  And  thou,  Solomon  my  son, 
know  thou  the  God  of  thy  father,  and  serve  him  with  a  perfect 
heart  and  with  a  willing  mind ;  for  the  Lord  S(>archeth  all  hearts, 
and  understandeth  all  the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts:  if  thou 
seek  Him,  he  will  be  found  of  thee;  but  if  thou  forsake  him,  he 
will  cast  thee  off  for  ever!"  In  obedience  to  the  charge  of  this 
pious  father,  he  had  begun  his  career  in  the  fear  ofthe  Lord.  He 
had,  therefore,  too  many  recollections,  and  too  many  anticipations, 
to  allow  of  his  being  happy  in  the  pursuit  of  the  vanities  of 
the  world,  and  the  pleasures  of  sin.  These,  in  spite  of  him,  must 
have  intruded  at  times  even  on  his  maddest  social  hours;  and 
must  have  armed  every  moment  of  solitude  and  reflection  with 
a  tormenting  sting.  No  yesterday,  during  that  period,  would 
look  l)ack  upon  him  with  a  smile.  And  Solomon's  case  is,  in  this 
respect,  far  from  being  a  solitary  one.     Persons  who  have  been 


204  LETURE  XI. 

'*  brought  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,"  but 
have  cast  oft'  the  fear  of  God  and  tlie  jirofession  of  religion,  can 
seldom  get  entirely  rid  of  these  early  convictions  and  impressions. 
They  are  continually  haunting  them.  Such  persons  are  often  dis- 
tinguished by  the  lengths  to  which  they  go  in  vicious  indulgence. 
The  reason  is,  that  they  are  making  an  eftbrt  to  get  above  their 
prejudices  and  silly  fears.  They  are  solicitous  to  conceal  them, 
and  determined  to  show  their  companions  in  sin  their  superiority 
to  them.  But  such  persons,  I  repeat,  do  not  do  justice  to  the 
world.  Oh !  it  is  a  fearful  experiment,  to  be  fairly  made.  That 
the  world  may  yield  its  pleasures  pure  and  unadulterated, — I  mean 
such  pleasures  as  it  aftbrds  to  its  votaries,  who  follow  it  as  their 
chief  good,  to  the  exclusion  of  spiritual  joys, — the  mind  must  bo 
stripped  of  all  the  vestiges  of  early  religious  instruction,  of  all  sense 
of  God,  of  all  anticipation  of  judgment  and  eternity;  the  voice  of 
inward  remonstance  must  be  entirely  stifled,  and  the  "conscience 
seared  as  with  a  hot  iron."  If  a  man  can  thoroughly  accomplish 
this,  he  will  then  have  the  pleasures  of  sin  in  their  perfection. 
But,  oh!  can  a  state  be  imagined  more  unutterably  fearful?  Could 
a  heavier  curse  be  conceived  to  light  upon  a  man,  than  the  curse 
of  success  m.  the  attempt  to  divest  himself  of  every  principle  that 
would  interfere  witli  the  unraingled  enjoyment  of  forbidden  plea- 
sures ? 

Besides ;  the  very  persons  who  cavil  at  ISolomon  for  his  calumni- 
ous representation,  as  they  account  it,  of  human  life,  themselves 
contributed  not  a  little  to  the  irabittering  of  his  feelings,  after  he 
came  to  look  back  on  his  unhallowed  experiment,  and  to  record 
its  results.  The  laughter  of  the  fool, — the  giddy  joy  of  the  vain, 
the  thoughtless,  the  dissipated,  and  voluptuous, — is  one  of  the  most 
aftecting  and  distressing  sights  to  a  serious  and  spiritual  mind : 
and  such  was  that  of  the  reclaimed  and  penitent  King  of  Israel. 
Inconsiderate  sinners  may  laugh  at  the  pain  they  give  to  the  godly. 
But  the  pain  is  the  product  of  Ijenevolence,  as  well  as  of  piety. 
The  self-delusion,  the  present  privation,  and  the  anticipated 
wretchedness  of  sinners,  are  its  source;  and  their  ^velfare  in  time 
and  in  eternity  is  the  sincere  and  fervent  desire  of  all  by  whom 
it  is  felt.  "  I  beheld  the  transgressors,  and  was  grieved." — "'  Rivers 
of  waters  run  down  mine  eyes,  because  they  keep  not  thy  law." 
<)  "be  ye  not  mockers,  lest  your  bands  be  made  strong." — "Love 


e{k;le8IAstes  yii.  1-6.  205 

uot  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the  Avorkl." — "The 
hist  of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life," 
will  all  deceive  you  at  last.  They  will  leave  you  worse  than 
destitute.  If  you  give  them  the  preference,  and  persist  in  living 
without  God,  the  day  of  your  death,  however  you  may  flatter 
yourselves,  will  not  to  you  be  better,  but  infinitely  worse,  than 
the  day  of  your  birth.  Many  a  poor  worlding  will  envy  through 
eternity  the  child  that  was  carried  from  the  womb  to  the  grave ; — 
will  wish,  with  unavailing  regret,  that  the  day  of  his  birth  had 
also  been  the  day  of  his  death; — and  will  load  with  bitter  impre- 
cations the  hour  that  commenced  an  existence  to  which  he  cannot 
put  a  termination,  and  which  his  own  sin  and  folly  have  rendered 
irremediably  miserable.  Dost  thou  believe,  then,  on  the  Son  of 
God?  It  is  only  to  those  who,  when  they  quit  this  world,  go  to 
be  with  Christ,  that  "to  die  is  gain," — that  "the  day  of  death  is 
better  than  the  day  of  birth :"  and  none  can  be  admitted  where 
He  is,  but  those  who  have  believed,  and  loved;  confessed,  and 
honored;  and  served  him  here.  If  you  renounce  the  world,  and 
seek  God  in  Christ  as  your  portion,  He  will  "  come  unto  you,  and 
make  his  abode  with  you."  He  will  be  the  light  of  your  habita- 
tion when  it  becomes  a  "house  of  mourning,"  and,  when  he  takes 
you  hence,  it  will  be  to  his  own  house  above,  where  "the  days  of 
your  mourning  shall  be  ended !" 


LECTURE  XII. 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  7-14. 

"Surely  oppression  maketh  a  wise  man  mad ;  and  a  gift  destroyetli  the  heart. 
8.  Better  (is)  the  end  of  a  thing  than  the  beginning  thereof;  (and)  the 
patient  in  spirit  (is)  better  than  the  proud  in  spirit.  9.  Be  not  hasty  in 
thy  spirit  to  be  angry;  for  anger  resteth  in  the  bosom  of  fools.  10.  Say 
not  thou,  What  is  (the  cause)  that  the  former  days  were  better  than  these? 
for  thou  dost  not  inquire  wisely  concerning  this.  11.  Wisdom  (is)  good 
with  an  inheritance;  and  (by  it  there  is)  profit  to  them  that  see  the  sun. 

12.  For  wisdom  (is)  a  defence,  (and)  money  (is)  a  defence:  but  the  ex- 
cellency of  knowledge  (is,  that)  wisdom  giveth  life  to  them  that  have  it. 

13.  Consider  the  work  of  God:  for  who  can  make  (that)  straight  which 
he  hath  made  crooked?  14.  In  the  day  of  prosperity  be  joyful,  but  in  the 
day  of  adversity  consider:  God  also  hath  set  the  one  over  against  the  other, 
to  the  end  that  man  should  find  nothing  after  him." 

It  is  evident,  that  what  is  said,  in  the  first  of  these  verses,  of 
the  tendency  of  oppression  to  "^nahe  a  wise  mc^n  mad/'  may  be 
understood  either  of  the  suffering  or  of  the  exercise  of  oppression. 
The  former,  it  is  needless  to  prove,  serves  to  fret,  and  harass,  and 
exasperate  the  spirit;  so  that  there  are  not  wanting  instances,  in 
which  men,  even  eminent  in  reputation  for  wisdom,  have,  by  its 
long  continuance, — by  their  being  the  constant  victims  of  injustice, 
privation,  insult,  and  violence, — been  worked  up  to  a  pitch  of  abso- 
lute frenzy ;  have  given  way,  after  long  and  difficult  restraint,  to 
the  burst  of  ungovernable  indignation,  and  have  acted  the  part  of 
madness,  rather  than  of  considerate  sobriety.  Moses,  describing 
the  unrighteous  oppression  which,  amongst  other  curses,  should 
befall  the  Israelites  under  the  Divine  visitation  for  their  sins, 
concludes  in  these  words: — "Thy  sons  and  thy  daughters  shall 
be  given  unto  another  people,  and  thine  eyes  shall  look,  and  fail 


/ 


ECCLESIASTES   VII.    7-14.  207 

with  longing  for  them  all  the  day  long;  and  there  shall  be  no 
might  in  thy  hand.  The  fruit  of  thy  land,  and  all  thy  labors, 
shall  a  nation  which  thou  knowest  not  eat  up ;  and  thou  shalt  be 
only  oppressed  and  cruslied  alway;  so  that  thou  shalt  be  mad  for 
the  sight  of  thine  eyes  which  thou  shalt  see."  Dent,  xxviii.  32-34. 

I  am  disposed,  however,  to  understand  the  expression  in  the 
passage  before  us,  as  relating  to  the  oppressor,  rather  than  to  the 
oppressed.  The  possession  of  power  carries  in  it  a  strong  tempta- 
tion to  its  abuse;  a  temptation  before  which  even  men  who  had 
borne  a  previous  character  for  wisdom,  have  not  seldom  fallen. 
And  when  a  man,  even  a  wise  man,  exalted  to  power,  once  gives 
way  before  the  tempting  inducements  to  its  corrupt  employment, 
the  very  exercise  of  opj^ression  tends  to  infatuate  and  bewilder  him. 
It  blinds  his  judgment;  it  perverts  his  principles;  it  hardens  his 
heart;  it  changes  his  character.  A  contention  arises  in  his  bosom 
between  the  love  of  power,  with  the  profit  of  its  abuse,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  remonstrances  and  upbraiding  of  conscience,  on  the 
other.  The  reluctance  too,  so  mighty  in  human  nature,  to  own 
an  error,  produces  a  passionate  impatience  of  reproof  and  counsel, 
which  is  proportionally  the  more  vehement,  as  he  is  inwardly 
sensible  he  is  WTong.  This  state  of  mind  drives  him  forward  to 
measures  of  new  violence;  the  very  opposition  of  conscience,  re- 
acting as  an  irritating  stimulus  in  tlie  contrary  direction;  the 
anger  at  its  torturing  remonstrances  producing  a  desperate  effort 
to  silence  and  banish  them ;  as  when  a  man,  to  show  his  indignant 
scorn  of  rebuke,  repeats  his  fault  more  offensively  than  before. 
One  step  leads  on  to  another;  till  his  conduct,  losing  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  wisdom,  becomes  like  that  of  a  man  bereft  of  reason, 
and  swayed  by  the  derangement  of  passion. 

One  of  the  reasons  for  preferring  this  interpretation  of  the  for- 
mer part  of  the  verse,  is  its  affording  .so  dear  a  connection  with 
the  latter: — ''and  a  gift  destroyeth  the  heart J^ — "A  gift"  is  a  bribe 
to  oppression.  T]ie  taking  of  gifts  was  prohibited  by  the  law  of 
Moses,  on  account  of  the  same  corrupting  tendency  that  is  here 
ascribed  to  them.  The  man,  indeed,  who  consents  to  receive  a 
gift,  known  to  be  bestowed  with  such  an  intention,  is  already  cor- 
rupted. "Judges  and  officers  shalt  thou  make  thee  in  all  thy 
gates,  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee,  throughout  thy  tribes : 
and  they  shall  judge  the  people  with  just  judgment.     Thou  shalt 


-208  LECTURE    XII. 

not  wrest  judgment:  thou  shalt  not  respect  persons,  neither  take 
.a  gift :  for  a  gift  doth  blind  the  eyes  of  the  wise,  and  pervert  the 
words  of  the  righteous.  That  which  is  altogether  just  shalt  thou 
follow,  that  thou  mayest  live,  and  inherit  the  land  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  giveth  thee."  Deut.  xvi.  18-20.  "A  gift  destroyeth  the 
heart."  It  operates  as  a  temptation.  It  undermines  the  principles 
of  impartial  equity,  and  deadens  the  feelings  of  humanity  and 
mercy.  It  perverts  the  moral  sentiments,  and  leads  to  the  woe 
^denounced  on  the  man  who  "calls  evil  good,  and  good  evil;  who 
puts  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for  darkness." 

This  view  of  the  verse  accords  well  with  Solomon's  leading 
design.  It  contains,  on  this  interpretation,  an  additional  reason 
why  we  should  not  "  envy  the  oppressor,"  or  covet  very  earnestly 
the  possession  of  power,  seeing  it  carries  in  it  a  temptation  so  dan- 
gerous; an  influence  so  perverting. 

Verse  8.  Better  is  the  end  of  a  thing  than  the  heginning  of  it;  and 
the  patient  in  spirit  is  better  than  the  proud  in  spirit. 

This  verse  appears  to  be  intended  for  the  oppressed;  although 
it  expresses,  at  the  same  time,  a  general  truth.  The  design  of  it 
is  to  recommend  patience,  as  a  remedy  against  the  evils  of  oppres- 
-sion,  and  against  the  calamities  of  life  in  general. 

Things  are  better  judged  of  by  their  end  than  by  their  begin- 
ning. The  morning  often  lowers,  when  the  succeeding  day  is 
clear.  And  thus,  in  the  arrangements  of  providence,  events  fre- 
<[uently  appear  very  dark  and  unpromising,  of  which  the  final 
issue  is,  beyond  expectation,  good.  On  this  account,  we  should 
beware  of  being  "hasty"  in  judgment,  in  feeling,  or  in  action. 
Jacob  said,  "All  these  things  are  against  me!"  But,  though  ap- 
pearances seemed  to  justify  his  despondency,  all  things  were 
"working  together  for  his  good."  "Ye  have  heard,"  too,  "of 
the  patience  of  Job,  and  have  seen  the  end  of  the  Lord,  that  the 
Lord  is  very  pitiful  and  of  tender  mercy."  He  "turned  the  cap- 
tivity of  Job,"  and  "  blessed  his  latter  end  more  than  his  be- 
ginning." And  (to  quote  a  case  more  immediately  connected 
with  the  subject  of  the  preceding  verse,)  when  the  children  of 
Israel  were  oppressed  with  increasing  rigor  by  Pharaoh  and  his 
task-masters;  when  their  work  was  required,  by  the  lawless  caprice 
of  a  despot,  without  materials  being  furnished  for  it,  and  they 
were  beaten  for  not  producing  it;  when  their  plight  was  so  de- 


ECCLESIASTES    Vll.  7-14.  20& 

plorable  and  heart-sinking,  that  when  Moses,  in  the  name  of  Je- 
hovah, spoke  to  them  the  words  of  Divine  encouragement  and 
promise,  "they  hearkened  not  unto  him,  for  anguish  of  spirit,  and 
for  cruel  bondage;"  all  seemed  dark  and  desperate.  But  "better 
was  the  end  than  the  beginning."  Jehovah,  at  length,  brought 
them  out  "  with  a  high  hand  and  an  outstretched  arm."  He  "  loosed 
the  bands  of  wickedness,  he  undid  the  heavy  burdens,  he  broke 
every  yoke,  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free."  The  oppressor  may, 
in  "the  beginning,"  appear  to  have  the  best  of  it;  but,  in  "the 
end,"  he  will  liavc  reason  to  envy  the  victims  of  his  tyranny.  Not 
unfrequently,  even  in  this  world,  the  righteous  God,  in  his  over- 
ruling providence,  makes  the  infatuated  ambition,  the  blind  ob- 
stinacy, and  the  relentless  cruelty,  of  the  oppressor,  the  means  of 
his  own  ruin,  and  of  the  deliverance  of  the  oppressed: — and,  at 
any  rate,  if  retributive  justice  should  not  visit  him  now,  the  most 
powerful  abuser  of  authority,  the  most  independent  and  ruthless 
trampler  on  the  rights  of  his  fellows,  must  give  his  own  account 
at  last  to  the  "Judge  of  all." 

Let  such  considerations  produce  patience  under  wrongs: — "The 
patient  in  spirit  is  better  than  the  proud  in  spirit."  Patience  is 
here,  for  a  very  obvious  reason,  opposed  to  pride.  Pride  is  one 
of  the  chief  sources  of  impatience;  of  that  hastiness  of  temper 
which  can  brook  no  wrong,  which  kindles  in  an  instant  at  every 
real  or  fancied  injury,  and  clamors  for  immediate  revenge.  Hu- 
mility, on  the  contrary,  is  the  parent,  not  of  insensibility,  but  of 
gentleness  and  meekness;  the  opposite  of  quick,  and  passionate, 
and  resentful  irritability;  of  u  patience  that  suffers  in  submission, 
and  waits  in  hope ;  bearing  even  the  evils  that  are  inflicted  by  men, 
in  the  remembrance  that  men  arc  but  "God's  hand,"  Psalm  xvii. 
14;  and  resting  in  tlie  tranquil  expectation  that  "the  end  will  be 
l)etter  than  the  beginning ;"  that  the  providence  of  God  will  make 
"darkness  light"  before  his  injured  children,  and  "crooked  things 
straight." 

Patience  is  "better"  than  passionate  and  hasty  "pride,"  both 
as  being  more  conducive  to  happiness,  and  as  being  more  in  har- 
mony with  the  Divine  will.  The  "patient  in  spirit"  has  more 
comfort,  tranquillity,  and  true  enjoyment,  in  his  own  bosom,  tlian 
the  "proud  in  spirit:" — his  self-control  enables  him  to  be  more 
useful,  in  supporting  and  counselling  others  around  him,  for  which 
14 


210  LECTURI-:    XII. 

he  -would  be  incapacitated  by  the  agitations  of  passion: — and  lie 
is,  at  the* same  time,  prevented  by  it  from  acting  with  that  pre- 
cipitate impetuosity  which,  springing  from  pride,  serves,  in  general, 
only  to  aggravate  calamity,  and  to  hasten  ruin.  Besides,  patience 
is  the  temper  of  mind  which  God  approves,  and  pride  that  which 
he  condemns :  so  that  he  who  cherishes  and  displays  the  former 
is  intrinsically,  in  the  estimate  of  the  great  Lawgiver,  "better" 
than  he  who  indulges  the  latter.  The  same  sentiment  is  often  ex- 
pressed by  Solomon,  as  one  of  much  general  importance,  and  of  ex- 
tensive application.  "Only  by  pride  conieth  contention:" — "He 
that  is  slow  to  wrath  is  of  great  understanding ;  but  he  that  is 
hasty  of  spirit  exalteth  folly:" — "A  wrathful  man  stirreth  up 
strife;  but  he  that  is  slow  to  anger  appeaseth  strife:" — "He  that 
is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the  mighty;  and  he  that  ruleth  his 
spirit  than  he  that  taketh  a  city."  Prov.  xiii.  10.  xiv.  29.  xv. 
18.    xvi  32. 

In  immediate  connection  with  tlie  sentiment  thus  expressed,  is 
the  admonition  in  the  ninth  verse: — 

Verse  9.  Be  not  hady  in  thy  spirit  to  be  angry ;  for  anger  rcsteth 
in  the  bosom  of  fools. 

I  shall  not,  at  present,  enter  into  any  disquisition  respecting  the 
lawfulness  of  anger,  or  make  any  attempt  to  ascertain  the  precise 
limit  at  which  it  becomes  criminal.  Those,  I  am  satisfied,  have 
gone  to  an  extreme,  who  have  contended  that  the  passion  is,  in  its 
own  nature,  sinful.  Cases  are  not  only  supposable,  but  of  no  in- 
frequent occurrence,  in  which  its  emotions  may  be  fliirly  justified. 
Yet  it  is  one  of  those  passions  for  which  a  person  feels  afraid  to 
plead ;  because  it  requires,  instead  of  encouragement  and  foster- 
ing, constant  and  careful  restraint;  and  the  propensity  in  every 
bosom  to  its  indulgence  is  ever  ready  to  avail  itself  of  an  argument 
for  its  abstract  lawfulness  to  justify  what  all  but  the  subject  of 
it  will  condemn  as  its  causeless  exercise,  or  its  criminal  excess. 
In  both  these  respects  there  is  hazard ; — of  its  springing  up  on 
improper  occasions,  and  of  its  going  beyond  reasonable  bounds. 

There  are  two  views,  suggested  by  this  verse,  in  Avliich  every 
prudent  man  will  be  desirous  to  guard  against  anger;  its  ready 
admission,  and  its  long  retention.  "Be  not  hasty  in  thy  spirit  to 
be  angry ;  for  anger  resteth  in  the  bosom  of  fools."  If  we  regard 
the  glory  of  God,  who  is  himself  "  long-suffering,  and  slow  to  an- 


ECCLESIASTE8    VII.  7-14.  211 

gor,"  or  our  own  personal  and  social  happiness,  wliicli  has  so  often 
been  fearfully  disturbed  by  the  violence  and  inveteracy  of  the  pas- 
sions, we  will  give  diligent  heed  to  this  admonition.  Great  has 
been  the  dishonor  done  to  God,  and  incalculable  the  mischiefs  pro- 
duced to  men,  by  hasty  and  by  long-cherished  anger.  It  is  in 
the  bosom  of  "fools"  that  anger  "resteth."  To  retain  and  foster 
it  is  a  mark  of  a  weak  mind,  as  well  as  of  an  unsanctified  heart : 
and  this  is  here  assigned  as  a  reason  why  ^ve  should  not  be  hasty 
to  admit  it.  We  should  be  cautious  of  receiving  into  our  bosoms 
what  wc  are  forbidden  to  harbor  in  them.  If  it  be  foolish  to  re- 
tain it,  it  must  be  foolish  to  give  it  ready  entrance.  David  ^vas 
"hasty  in  his  spirit  to  be  angry"  against  Nabal;  and  none  will 
deny  that  his  provocation  was  strong :  yet  he  saw  reason  after- 
wards to  bless  God  for  preventing  the  indulgence  of  his  hasty  pas- 
sion, which,  in  the  inoment  of  sudden  irritation,  had  threatened 
what  could  never  have  been  justified.  Seel  Sam.  xxv.  "Be  yc 
angry,"  says  the  apostle,  "and  sin  not:  let  not  the  sun  go  down 
upon  your  wratli.  Neither  give  place  to  the  devil."  Eph.  iv.  26, 
27.  The  connection  of  these  words  seems,  without  straining,  to 
intimate,  Avhat  experience  abundantly  confirms,  that  the  Tempter 
of  mankind  often  avails  himself,  in  a  special  manner,  of  this  pas- 
sion, to  drive  its  subjects  to  the  commission  of  sin.  "Wherefore, 
my  beloved  brethren,  let  every  man  be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak, 
slow  to  wrath:  for  the  wrath  of  man  worketh  not  the  righteous- 
ness of  God."  James  i.  19,  20. 

One  great  source  of  unhappiness  in  the  Avorld — a  copious  and 
perennial  spring  of  bitter  waters— is  discontent, — dissatisfaction 
with  the  situation,  as  to  time,  place,  and  circumstances,  in  which 
Divine  providence  has  placed  us.  It  is,  I  think,  against  such  a 
temper  of  mind  that  the  warning  is  pointed  in  verse  tenth : — 

Verse  10.  Say  not  thou,  Mliat  is  the  cause  that  the  former  days 
were  better  than  these  f  for  thou  dost  not  inquire  wisely  concerning  this. 

It  is  obvious,  that  the  complaint  here  supposed  may  be  under- 
stood in  two  senses.  It  may  relate  to  character,  or  to  condition; 
to  comparative  degrees  of  impiety  and  wichedness,  or  to  compara- 
tive degrees  of  calamity  and  suffering.  It  is  in  the  latter  sense  that 
I  understand  it  here:  yet  you  will  excuse  a  remark  or  two  on  the 
former. 

The  complaint,  in  what  may  be  termed  the  moral  view  of  it,  has 


212  LECTURE    XII. 

been  common,  I  snppose,  in  every  age,  since  the  beginning  of  the 
world.  Had  it  all  along  been  true,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive, 
bad  as  the  world  is,  how  ranch  worse  it  mnst  have  been.  Bnt 
the  degeneracy  of  the  times,  as  it  is  never  out  of  the  mouths  of  some 
amongst  ourselves,  so  Avas  it  always  in  the  lips  of  the  very  gene- 
ration they  praise,  who  extolled  in  their  time  the  one  which  pre- 
ceded it ;  and  that  again  its  still  more  worthy  predecessor.  The 
truth  is,  we  are,  on  many  accounts,  exceedingly  incompetent 
judges.  There  is  much  difficulty  in  taking  a  comparative  view 
that  shall  be  sufficiently  comprehensive  and  impartial,  of  our  own 
and  other  times.  We  are  extremely  apt  to  confine  our  estimate 
to  particular  descriptions  of  character  or  departments  of  conduct, 
which  happen,  whether  from  accidental  circumstances,  or  from  our 
peculiar  mental  temperament,  to  have  more  particularly  attracted 
our  attention  and  impressed  our  minds :  and  to  overlook  the  end- 
less variety  of  modifications  and  aspects  under  which  the  corrup- 
tion of  our  nature  displays  itself;  to  forget  that,  in  human  society, 
there  is  a  fashion  in  morality,  as  there  is  in  every  thing  else,  of 
which  it  is  the  very  essence  to  fluctuate,  and  to  show,  in  successive 
periods,  capricious  and  changeful  predilections;  that  religion  and 
virtue,  though  declining  in  the  quarter  of  the  country  which  forms 
the  immediate  sphere  of  our  observation,  may  be  reviving  and 
making  progress  in  another;  that  when  the  prevalence  of  any 
particular  vice  has  been  the  occasion  of  injury  and  suffering  to 
ourselves,  we  naturally  feel  and  speak  strongly,  under  the  irrita- 
tions of  self-love,  magnifying  in  our  imaginations  both  the  in- 
trinsic enormity  of  the  evil,  and  the  extent  to  which  it  is  practised. 
So  much  do  these  and  other  causes  affect  the  judgment,  that  twc» 
persons,  differing  in  circumstances,  and  in  mental  constitution  and 
moral  sentiment,  shall  produce,  from  the  very  same  scene  of  life 
and  manners,  descriptions  so  unlike  each  other,  as  that  we  shall 
be  at  a  loss  to  believe  the  identity  of  the  subject:  just  as  two 
painters,  following  each  his  own  taste  and  fancy,  may,  from  the 
same  assortment  of  objects,  by  variety  of  grouping  and  arrange- 
ment— by  the  different  degrees  of  retirement  or  of  prominence  given 
to  each — and  by  their  opposite  styles  of  shading  and  coloring — 
present  us  with  two  pictures  so  totally  dissimilar,  as  that  we  may 
look  long  and  narrowly,  ere  we  discover  the  points  of  coincidence. 
T  might  illustrate  these  remarks  by  an  application  of  them  to 


E<J€LESIASTi:S  VII.  7-14.  213 

our  own  times,  in  our  own  country.     That  in  sonic  classes  of  the 
community  there  has  been  a  declension  in  purity  of  morals,  sobriety 
and  moderation,  and  personal  and  family  religion,  will  hardly 
admit  of  a  doubt.     It  was  naturally  to  be  expected,  from  the  pro- 
gressive increase  of  riches  and  luxury,  which  never  fail  to  bring 
along  with  them  a  set  of  new  vices,  and  to  relax  the  tone  of  public 
virtue.     Infidelity,  too,  and  irreligion  have  been  of  late  more  un- 
blushingly  avowed,  and  have  drawn  from  some  of  their  unhappy 
votaries  more  daring,  more  artful,  and  more  extended  efforts  for 
the  diffusion  of  their  unhallowed  and  mischievous  principles,  than 
for  many  years  have  been  witnessed  amongst  us.      Yet  many  and 
interesting  are  the  favorable  characters  of  the  present  age;  and 
some  of  its  evils  have  originated  in  the  existing  good.     The  zeal 
of  Christians  for  the  diffusion  of  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the 
knowledge  and  the  influence  of  "pure  and  undefiled  religion"  at 
home  and  abroad,  has  been  enlarged,  and  its  exertions  multiplied 
and  ardent,  beyond  all  former  example.     And  this  not  only  indi- 
cates an  abounding  of  the  good  principles  of  piety  and  benevolence, 
as  the  sources  from  which  it  must  proceed ;  but,  accompanied  as 
it  is  with  so  much  united  prayer  for  the  Divine  blessing,  it  cannot 
fail  to  be  productive  of  salutary  effects,  in  the  amelioration  of  in- 
dividuals and  communities.     It  is  at  once  an  index  of  good  ex- 
isting, and  an  efficient  means  of  its  advancement.     It  shows  a 
fountain  Avhence  it  emanates;  and  it  carries  with  it,  in  all  its  ten 
thousand  streams,  a  purifying  and  healing  virtue.     The  evil  has 
become  more  visible  by  its  contrast  with  the  good.     The  efforts 
of  infidelity  have  arisen  from  the  efforts  of  the  friends  of  the  Bi- 
ble, and  the  wonder  is,  not  that  they  should  have  been  made  now, 
but  that  they  should  have  been  so  long  suspended.     It  is  a  trial  of 
strength  between  truth  and  error,  between  Heaven  and  Hell.  Hell 
has  its  partial  successes  and  triumphs;  and  the  great  majority, 
alas !  remain  on  the  side  of  the  prince  of  darkness.     But  Heaven, 
we  trust,  is  at  present  prevailing ;  and  of  ultimate  and  universal 
victory,  to  the  full  extent  of  the  Divine  purposes  and  predictions, 
it  were  i4iipious  to  doubt.     My  own  firm  persuasion  is,  that  true 
religion  is  not  on  the  decline,  but  on  the  increase,  both  in  our  own 
country,  and  in  the  world  at  large. 

Let  us,  however,  beware.     We  are  not  to  fancy,  from  the  lan- 
guage of  Solomon,  that  there  is  no  difference,  in  a  moral  view, 


214  LECTURE    XII. 

between  different  periods;  or  that  such  diiference  is  not  a  fair  and 
legitimate  subject,  and  an  interesting  one  too,  of  candid  observa- 
tion, inquiry,  and  comparison.  A]id,  whilst  we  cannot  acquiesce 
in  the  incessant  complainings  of  men  who  are  for  ever  sigliing 
after  old  times,  and  "saying  that  the  former  days  were  better  than 
these,"  we  ought  to  be  on  our  guard  against  light  impressions  of 
the  abounding  evils  of  our  age  and  country;  for  evils  still  prevail 
to  a  most  deplorable  extent,  and  their  guilt  is  awfully  enhanced 
by  the  super-abundance  of  spiritual  privileges,  and  by  the  very 
means  employed  for  their  exposure  and  prevention. 

But  although  I  iiave  ventured  these  general  remarks  on  this 
view  of  the  jjussage,  the  other,  as  I  have  already  noticed,  appears 
to  be  tlie  meaning  of  the  writer.  It  refers  to  the  comparative 
measiu'e  oi  .wfjcring  rather  than  of  sin;  of  natural  rather  than  of 
m  )ral  evil.  He  is  finding  fault  with  a  dissatisfied  spirit — a  dispo- 
sition to  be  continually  complaining  of  the  times,  as  if  in  them 
Avere  to  be  found  all  the  elements  of  misery — laying  on  them  the 
blame  of  that  unhappiness  of  which  the  eomplainer  carries  about 
the  cause  in  his  own  bosom: — "Say  not  of  the  former  days,  they 
Avere  better  than  these;  for  thou  dost  not  inquire  icisely  concerning 

this:' 

In  the  fird place.  Thou  art  inquiring  for  the  cau-ic  of  what  thou 
shouldst  first  ascertain  with  certainty  to  he  a  fact;  of  v\^hat  possibly 
has  no  existence  but  in  thine  own  distempered  imagination,  or 
partially  informed  judgment.  All  the  idle  speculations  about  a 
golden  age,  and  the  purity  and  liappiness  of  the  simple  and  primi- 
tive state  of  society,  uncontaminated  by  the  corrupting  refinements 
of  civilized  and  luxurious  life,  come  under  this  reproof  There 
has  been  no  golden  age  in  this  world,  but  the  short  period  of 
paradisiacal  innocence  and  bliss,  enjoyed  l)y  the  first  progenitors 
of  our  sin-accursed  race. 

Secondly.  Consider  with  thyself  farther,  that  thou  knowest  the 
evils  of  former  times  only  bi/  report;  whereas  of  present  ills  thou 
thyself /cf/es^  the  pressure.  By  this  feeling  thy  judgment  is  liable 
to  be  perverted.  Or,  thou  scest  the  distress  that  is  endured  by 
others;  and  distress  that  is  seen  affects  the  heart  more  deeply  than 
distress  that  is  reported.  The  sight  of  the  eye  is  more  impressive 
in  such  cases,  than  the  hearing  of  the  ear.  Thou  canst  balance, 
Avith  an  unbiassed  mind,  the  (jood  and  the  evil  of  "olden  tim 


ECCLESIASTES    VII.  7-14.  215 

to  wliicli  thou  art  not  a  party  ;  but  a  sufferer  is  more  ready,  througli 
the  selfishness  of  his  nature,  to  brood  over  his  one  calamity,  than 
to  contemplate  with  gratitude  his  multiplied  blessings — to  nauseate 
the  drop  of  bitter,  more  than  to  relish  the  cup  of  sweets. 

Thirdly.  In  uttering  thy  complaints  with  a  dissatisfied  and 
repining  spirit,  thou  art  unwise:  for  thou  arraignest,  in  so  doing, 
the  all-wise  providence  of  the  Most  High,  mIio  assigns  to  every 
successive  age  its  portion  of  evil  and  of  good.  He  has  "fixed  the 
times  before  appointed,  and  the  bounds  of  our  habitation;"  and 
it  is  our  true  wisdom  to  be  pleased  and  satisfied  with  whatever 
has  seemed  good  to  the  wisdom  that  is  infinite.  What  he  does  is 
ever  best.  The  complaints  of  a  fretted  spirit  are  ungodly;  and 
the  "inc^uiries"  of  such  a  spirit  are  equally  unwise  in  their  prin- 
ciple, and  delusive  in  their  results. 

Verse  11.  Wisdom  is  good  mitlt  an  inheritance;  and  by  it  there 
is 2Wojit  to  them  that  see  the  sun. 

The  former  part  of  this  verse  is  sometimes  understood  to  mean, 
that  icorldly  ]jossessions  are  little  worth  icithout  loisdom;  because 
the  possessor  of  an  inheritance,  who  is  devoid  of  discretion,  will 
either  squander  it  away  through  thoughtless  improvidence,  or  will 
not  .use  it  at  all,  or  will  employ  it  for  ends  that  are  worse  than 
unprofitable ;  that  are  criminal  and  pernicious.  I  imagine,  hoAV- 
ever,  the  marginal  reading,  which  accords  with  a  common  mode 
of  Hebrew  comparison,  to  be  the  true  one, — "Wisdom  is  better 
than  an  inheritance."  The  eleventh  and  twelfth  verses  are  obvi- 
ously connected  together,  the  latter  being  explanatory  of  the  former; 
"  Wisdom  is  better  than  an  inheritance,  and  a  profit  (or  profitable) 
to  them  that  see  the  sun" — that  is,  to  mankind: — 

Verse  12.  For  wisdom  is  a  defense,  and  money  is  a  defense,  bid 
the  excellency  of  hnowledge  is,  that  wisdom  f/iveth  life  to  them  thcd 
have  it. 

"Wisdom  is  a  defense,  and  money  is  a  defense;"  both  affording, 
in  different  ways,  the  means  of  security  from  the  ills  of  life.  Wis- 
dom enables  a  man  to  consult  his  own  safety,  to  "foresee  evil  and 
hide  himself,"  and  to  make  many  friends  by  his  circumsj^eict  and 
prudent  behavior.  Riches,  too,  surround  their  possessor  with 
friends;  they  are  a  powerful  protection  against  his  enemies;  and 
the  effectual  means  of  averting  many  evils,  and  securing  many 
benefits: — "a  rich  man's  wealth  is  his  strono-  citv." — "But  the  ex- 


216  ]>ECTURE    XII. 

cellence  of  knowledge" — its  peculiar  advantage — "  is,  that  wisdom 
giveth  life  to  them  that  have  it."  In  this  especially  consists  its 
superiority  to  an  inheritance. 

"Wisdom"  must  here,  I  think,  be  understood  in  its  best  sense; 
as  signifying  not  mere  prudence  and  discretion,  but  including  along 
with  these  the  knowledge  that  "maketh  wise  unto  salvation." 
Without  this  no  man  is  truly  wise.  "  The  fear  of  the  Lord,  that 
is  wisdom."  True  wisdom  leads  its  possessor  to  act  according  to 
just  views  of  the  comparative  value  of  different  objects  of  desire 
and  pursuit ;  and,  therefore,  to  give  a  decided  and  cordial  prefer- 
ence to  the  things  that  are  unseen  and  eternal,  above  those  that 
are  seen  and  temporal ;  the  latter,  when  laid  in  the  balance  against 
the  former,  being  "altogether  lighter  than  vanity."  It  is  obvious, 
I  think,  that  the  expression,  "wisdom giveth  life  to  them  that  have 
it,"  cannot  mean  merely  that  it  enables  a  man  the  more  eifectually 
to  provide  for  the  continuance  and  the  comfort  of  the  present  life. 
In  this  respect  "money"  might  be  considered  approaching  to  a 
par  with  it;  and  at  any  rate  such  a  consideration  would  never  have 
been  mentioned  by  Solomon  with  so  much  emphasis.  The  se- 
curity and  comfort  of  this  life,  indeed,  had  already  been  included 
in  the  comparison,  "Wisdom  is  a  defense,  and  money  is  a  defense;" 
which  represents  them  both  as,  thus  far,  answering  the  same  pur- 
pose. But  wisdom,  the  "wisdom  that  is  from  above,"  imparts  not 
only  the  true  enjoyment  of  the  present  life,  but  "life  eternal" 
to  them  that  have  it.  This  is  its  peculiar  excellence.  "Happy 
is  the  man  that  findeth  wisdom,  and  the  man  that  getteth  under- 
standing: for  the  merchandise  of  it  is  better  than  the  merchan- 
dise of  silver,  and  the  gain  thereof  than)  fine  gold.  She  is  more 
precious  that  rubies;  and  all  the  things  thou  canst  desire  are  not 
to  be  compared  unto  her.  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand, 
and  in  her  left  hand  riches  and  honor.  Her  ways  are  ways  of 
pleasantness  and  all  her  paths  are  peace.  She  is  a  tree  of  life 
to  them  that  lay  hold  upon  her;  and  happy  is  every  one  that  re- 
taineth  her."  Prov.  iii.  13-18. — "Take  fast  hold  of  instruction; 
let  her  not  go :  keep  her,  for  she  is  thy  life."  Ibid.  iv.  18. — "  This 
is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee,  the  only  true  God, 
and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent."  John  xvii.  3. — "  Now, 
therefore,  hearken  unto  me,  O  ye  children;  for  blessed  are  they 
that  keep  my  ways.     Hear  instruction,  and  be  wise,  and  refuse  it 


ECCLESIASTES   VII.    7-14.  217 

not.  Blessed  is  the  man  that  heareth  me,  watching  daily  at  my 
gates,  waiting  at  the  posts  of  my  doors.  For  whoso  findeth  me: 
findeth  life,  and  shall  obtain  favor  of  the  Lord.  But  he  that  sin- 
neth  against  me  wrongeth  his  own  soul :  all  they  that  hate  me  love- 
death."  Prov.  viii.  32-36.  This  indeed  is  true  "profit  to  them  that 
see  the  sun." — "  Riches  profit  not  in  the  day  of  wrath."  The  life 
that  is  obtained  by  wisdom,  "cannot  be  gotten  for  gold,  neither 
shall  silver  be  weighed  for  the  price  of  it."  "  What  is  a  man  pro- 
fited, if  he  should  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own  soul?  or 
what  shall  a  man  give,  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  Matt.  xvi.  26> 

The  possession  of  this  heavenly  wisdom,  then,  is  the  great  se- 
cret of  human  happiness.  Under  its  influence,  its  possessor  will 
be  led  rightly  to  improve  the  varying  circumstances  and  conditions; 
of  life,  satisfied  with  the  wise  and  immutable  purposes  of  heaven. 

Verses  13,  14.  Consider  the  work  of  God:  for  who  can  make  that 
straight  ivhich  he  hath  made  crooked  f  In  the  day  of  prosperity,  be  joy- 
ful; but  in  the  day  of  adversity,  consider:  God  also  hath  set  the  one- 
over  against  the  other,  to  the  end  that  man  should  find  nothing  after  him^ 

To  "consider  the  work  of  God," — to  observe  with  close  atten- 
tion, and  acknowledge  with  pious  reverence,  his  providential  hand, 
is  an  important  part  of  true  wisdom  ;  as  well  as  to  bear  habitually 
in  mind  the  complete  and  unceasing  dependence  of  all  creatures, 
on  his  sovereign  will: — "Who  can  make  that  straight,  which  he 
hath  made  crooked?"  This  has  no  reference  to  the  previous,  un- 
discovered purposes  of  God,  as  to  the  future  arrangement  of  his 
providence.  These  are  no  rule  to  us.  AVe  are  not  to  allow  our- 
selves to  be  influenced,  either  by  such  conjectural  anticipations,  or 
by  any  idea  of  invincible  fatality.  Our  business  is,  to  use  with 
diligence  the  means  that  are  placed  in  our  power  of  obtaining  com- 
fort and  happiness,  and,  in  the  spirit  of  humble  faith,  to  leave  the 
event  to  God.  But  when  the  event  comes,  whatever  it  may  be> 
we  are  called  to  acquiesce  in  it;  not  murmuring  and  complaining, 
and  "fighting  against  God."  That  were  as  vain,  as  it  would  be 
impious:  for  "who  can  make  that  straight,  which  he  hath  made 
crooked?"  There  is  no  contending,  with  success,  with  innocence, 
or  with  safety,  against  the  appointments  of  providence.  Our  wis- 
dom is  to  make  a  proper  improvement  of  them.  "Behold,  he 
taketh  away;  who  can  hinder  him?  who  will  say  unto  him.  What 
doest  thou?" — "Behold,  he  breaketh  down,  and  it  cannot  Ix' built 


'218  LECTLTHE    XII. 

again;  liQ  shiitteth  up  a  mai),  and  there  can  be  no  opening." — 
"  When  he  giveth  quietness^  who  then  can  make  trouble?  and  when 
he  hideth  liis  face,  who  then  can  behold  him?" — "He  doeth  accord- 
ing to  his  will  in  the  army  of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth :  and  none  can  stay  his  hand,  or  say  unto  him,  What 
doest  thou?"  Job  ix.  12.    xii.'l4.    xxxiv.  29.    Dan.  iv.  35. 

"In  the  day  of  prosperity  be  joyful ;  but  in  the  day  of  adversity, 
consider." 

God  has  given  us  of  the  bounties  of  his  providence;  and  it  is 
liis  intention,  in  bestowing  them,  that  they  should  be  enjoyed  by 
us  with  grateful  and  cheerful  hearts.  Joy  is  the  proper  feeling 
for  the  season  of  prosperity  and  blessing.  Xot  to  be  joyful,  would 
imply  the  want  of  a  becoming  spirit  of  thankfulness  to  the  giver. 
When  the  children  of  Israel  were  commanded  to  appear  before 
the  Lord,  with  the  offering  of  the  first-fruits  of  their  land,  the 
charge  was  given  in  these  words: — "Thou  shalt  set  it  before  the 
Lord  thy  God,  and  shall  worship  before  the  Lord  thy  God. 
And  THOU  SHALT  REJOICE  in  cvcry  good  thing  which  the  Lord 
thy  God  hath  given  unto  thee,  and  unto  thy  house,  thou,  and  the 
Levite,  and  the  stranger  that  is  among  you."  And,  in  denouncing 
against  them  the  curses  of  heaven,  Moses  uses  the  following  re- 
markable language: — "Because  thou  scrvedst  not  the  Lord  thy 

God  WITH  JOYFULNESS,  AND  WITH  GLADNESS  OF  IIEAllT,  for  the 

abundance  of  all  things;  therefore  slialt  thou  serve  thine  enemies, 
wliich  the  Lord  shall  send  against  thee,  in  hunger,  and  in  thirst, 
and  in  nakedness,  and  in  want  of  all  things:  and  he  shall  put  a 
yoke  of  iron  upon  thy  neck,  until  he  have  destroyed  thee."  Deut. 
xxvi.  10,  11.    xxviii.  47,  48. 

Whilst  prosperity  is  the  season  of  joy,  adversity  is  a  Divine  call 
to  serious  consideration.  Not  that  in  prosperity  consideration  is 
to  be  banished,  or  that  joy  is  to  be  excluded  in  adversity.  No. 
There  are  joys  wliich  are  often  most  sweetly  and  most  intensely 
experienced  in  times  of  trouble.  The  Christian  "glories  in  tribu- 
lation," He  is  "sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing."  And  when  all 
goes  well  with  us, — when  the  kindness  of  heaven  "fills  our  mouth 
with  laughter  and  our  tongue  with  singing," — we  must  never  dis- 
miss serious  thoughts.  AYe  should  be  "  when  we  rejoice,  as  though 
Ave  rejoiced  not;"  remembering  the  precariousness  of  earthly  de- 
li::;lits,  and  "joining  trembling  with  our  mirth."     But  it  is  the  de- 


ECCLESIASTES    VII.  7-1-1.  219 

sign  and  the  tendency  of  adversity  to  rouse  to  consideration.  This 
is  its  proper  effect.  "Is  any  among  you  afflicted?  let  him  pray." 
Adversity  contains  an  immediate,  and  frequently  a  startling  and 
impressive,  call  to  such  reflections  as,  alas !  prosperity  is  ever  in 
danger  of  driving  a\vay.  It  sobers  the  intoxicated  spirit.  It 
summons  back  the  mind  from  its  heedless  and  perilous  wanderings, 
"lu  the  day  of  adversity,"  then  "consider"  the  Authoe  of 
your  trials.  Whatever  be  their  nature,  and  whatever  the  instru- 
ment of  their  infliction,  they  are  the  appointment  of  providence; 
they  come  from  the  hand  of  a  wise  and  merciful  God,  who,  in  all 
his  ways.  Is  entitled  to  your  thoughtful  regard. — "Consider"  the 
CAUSE  of  all  suffering.  It  is  all  to  be  traced  to  sin.  Sin  is  the 
bitter  fountain  of  every  bitter  stream  that  flows  in  this  wilder- 
ness.— "Consider"  the  great  general  design  of  adversity;  to  ex- 
cite to  self-examination,  repentance  of  sin,  and  renewcid  vigilance ; 
to  promote  the  increase  of  faith,  and  love,  and  hope,  and  spiritu- 
ality of  mind,  and  general  holiness  of  heart  and  life.  These  vari- 
ous topics  of  consideration  are  fitted,  when  duly  laid  to  heart,  to 
produce  the  sentiments  and  feelings  that  are  suited  to  times  of  trou- 
ble. The  first,  to  inspire  silent  and  reverential  submission  to  the 
Vv'ill  of  God,  who  is  the  author  of  our  trials ;  the  second,  humilia- 
tion of  spirit  under  a  sense  of  sin,  as  their  cause;  and  the  third, 
an  earnest  desire  for  the  spiritual  profit,  which  constitutes  the  gra- 
cious design  of  the  Divine  chastiser.  "Thou  shalt  also  consider 
in  thy  lieart,  that  as  a  man  chastcneth  his  son,  so  the  Lord  thy 
God  chasteneth  thee:  therefore  thou  shalt  keep  the  command- 
ments of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  walk  in  his  ways,  and  to  fear  him :" 
— "'The  Lord's  voice  crieth  unto  the  city,  and  the  man  of  wisdom 
shall  see  thy  name ;  hear  ye  the  rod,  and  M'ho  hath  appointed  it :" 
— "Who  is  he  that  saith,  and  it  cometh  to  pass,  when  the  Lord 
commandeth  it  not?  Out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Most  High  pro- 
ceedeth  not  evil  and  good.  Wherefore  doth  a  living  man  com- 
plain, a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his  sins?  Let  us  search  and 
try  our  ways,  and  turn  again  to  the  Lord :  let  us  lift  up  our  heart 
Vi'itli  our  hands  unto  God  in  the  heavens:" — "Now  therefore,  thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Consider  your  ways.  Ye  have  sown  much, 
and  bring  in  little;  ye  eat,  but  ye  have  not  enough;  ye  drink,  but 
ye  are  not  filled  with  drink ;  ye  clothe  you,  but  there  is  none  warm ; 
-and  he  that  earneth  wages,  earneth  wages  to  \mt  it  into  a  bag  witli 


220  LECTURE   XII. 

holes.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Consider  your  ways:" — 
*'  No  chastening  for  the  present  seemeth  to  be  joyous  but  grievous; 
nevertheless  afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteous- 
ness unto  them  who  are  exercised  thereby.  Wherefore  lift  up  the 
hands  which  hang  down,  and  the  feeble  knees ;  and  make  straight 
paths  for  your  feet."  Deut.  viii.  5,  6.  Mic.  vi.  9.  Lam.  iii.  37- 
41.  Hag.  i.  5-7.  Heb.  xii.  11-13.  Such  4ire  some  of  the  many 
Scriptural  addresses  to  persons  in  adversity ;  in  all  of  which  may 
be  recognized,  with  equal  clearness,  its  Author,  its  cause,  and  its 
design. 

Prosperity  and  adversity  are,  in  the  present  life,  and  more  or 
less  in  the  history  of  every  individual,  intermingled  together. 
They  come  and  go  with  a  frequent  and  uncertain  alternation ;  so- 
that  in  the  highest  prosperity,  we  should  never  lose  sight  of  ad- 
versity, or  allow  ourselves  to  forget  how  near  a  change  may  be. 
If  we  do  forget  it,  it  is  not  for  want  of  incessant  mementos.  In  tha 
appearances  which  the  world  is  every  day  and  every  hour  present- 
ing to  our  view,  the  Supreme  Disposer  of  events  is  continually 
"setting  the  one  over  against  the  other."  One  man  is  prospering 
while  another  is  suffering;  the  prosperity  of  one  is  commencing,, 
whilst  that  of  another  is  terminating:  the  same  man  who  pros- 
pered yesterday,  suffers  to-day:  prosperous  and  afflictive  occur- 
rences befall  the  same  individual  at  the  same  moment.  And  what 
is  the  purpose  of  God  in  this  constant  alternation  and  intermingling, 
of  good  and  evil  ? 

It  is, — "  to  the  end  that  man  may  find  nothing  after  him." 
This  expression  is  obscure.  I  shall  content  myself  with  men- 
tioning several  different  interpretations  of  it,  leaving  it  to  your- 
selves to  decide  between  them : — 1.  That  no  man  might  come  after 
God,  to  review  his  providential  administration,  and  discover  de- 
fect or  fault;  imagining  that  things  might  have  been  managed  to 
better  advantage : — this  alternation  of  prosperity  and  adversity  in 
the  lot  of  individuals,  and  in  the  general  aspect  of  the  world,  be- 
ing the  wisest  arrangement,  both  for  the  glory  of  God  and  for  the 
good  of  men — who  need  adversity  to  prevent  the  intoxicating  in- 
fluence of  prosperity,  and  prosperity  to  lighten  the  overwhelming, 
pressure  of  adversity;  who  require,  amidst  the  temptations  of  the 
world,  to  be  constantly  reminded  of  its  precariousness ;  and  whose 
characters  are,  by  varying  circumstances,  elicited  and  displayed,, 


ECCLESIASTES   VH.  7-14.  221 

;so  as  to  make  the  justice  of  God  apparent  in  the  final  judgment. — 
2.  That  men  might  be  sensible  of  their  intire  dependence,  the  les- 
ison  being  brouglit  home  to  their  minds  by  their  felt  inability  to 
alter,  in  the  smallest  degree,  what  he  has  done  before,  and  fixed. 
No  creature  can  "find  any  thing  after  Him,"  who  "openeth,  and 
no  man  shutteth,  and  shutteth,  and  no  man  openeth :"  and  this 
ought  to  produce  humble  submission  to  his  sovereign  appoint- 
ments ;  seeing  the  attempt  is  thus  vain  to  "find"  what  he  has  not 
willed. — 3.  That  men,  impressed  with  the  uncertainty  of  earthly 
good,  might  find  their  only  satisfying  portion  in  God  himself; 
that  nothing  besides  him  can  confer  true  and  permanent  felicity; 
and  that  in  him  there  is  enough  to  impart  and  to  secure  it,  with- 
out any  thing  being  sought  for  after  him:  that  they  might  be  led, 
from  choice  and  experience,  to  say,  "The  Lord  is  my  portion,  saith 
my  soul;  therefore  will  I  lioi^e  in  him :" — "  Whom  have  I  in  heaven 
but  thee?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  in  comparison 
of  thee.  My  flesh  and  my  heart  fail;  but  God  is  the  strength  of 
my  heart,  and  my  portion  for  ever." 

1.  Let  us,  from  these  verses,  learn,  in  the  first  i^lace,  to  beware 
of  ambition, — of  eagerly  coveting  the  acquisition  of  power.  Let 
the  dangers  arising  from  it  to  its  possessor  be  considered,  and  we 
.shall  rather  be  disposed  to  say,  with  humble  self-distrust,  "Lead  me 
not  into  temptation !"  We  shall  be  jealous  of  ourselves  with  godly 
jealousy;  and,  instead  of  being  eager  to  acquire,  we  shall  be  back- 
ward to  accept,  what  contains  in  it  such  a  temptation  to  its  abuse,  and 
the  abuse  of  which  serves  equally  to  infatuate  the  oppressor,  and 
to  madden  the  oppressed.  Not  that  a  Christian  is  enjoined,  or  even 
warranted,  uniformly  to  decline  every  situation  of  power  and  in- 
fluence, where  he  might  bring  his  principles  into  exercise  for  the 
benefit  of  society.  No :  it  may  be  his  duty  to  accept  a  trust,  to 
which  the  voice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  the  voice  of  providence, 
concur  to  invite  him.  There  are,  besides,  various  descriptions 
and  degress  of  power,  which  arise  from  the  relations  established 
by  nature  between  man  and  man.  With  whichsoever  of  these  we 
are  intrusted,  let  it  be  our  prayer,  that  the  grace  of  God  may  en- 
able us  to  "use"  our  authority  "as  not  abusing  it;"  for  in  every 
case  we  may  be  under  temptation,  constant  or  occasional,  to  excess 
and  oppression.  You  have  authority  as  parents,  or  as  teachers, 
or  as  masters,  whether  of  domestic  servants,  of  field  laborers,  or 


222  LECTURE  xir. 

of  workmen  in  the  various  departments  of  business : — see  that  yoii 
never  exert  your  j30 ?(,'£■?■  beyond  the  limits  oi  right;  for  the  grati- 
fication of  any  selfish  principle,  or  the  attainment  of  any  selfish 
end ;  for  any  purj^ose,  other  than  the  good  of  those  over  whom 
you  possess  it.  And  if  you  now  hold,  or  should  ever  be  called  to 
hold,  a  magistracy,  or  any  situation  of  public  trust  and  influence^ 
let  the  strictest  equity,  the  most  incorruptible  integrity  and  honor, 
in  combination  with  the  tenderest  clemency  and  the  most  kindly 
benevolence,  characterize  your  whole  conduct;  '4hat  the  name  of 
God  and  his  doctrine  be  not  blasphemed." 

2.  Secondly ;  Let  us  cherish  in  our  hearts,  and  exemplify  in  our 
lives,  the  virtues  of  meekness,  and  patience,  and  long-suffering. 
These  are  truly  Christian  virtues ;  despised  by  a  proud  world,  but 
inculcated  in  the  Scriptures  with  a  frequency  and  earnestness  that 
mark  their  value  in  the  sight  of  God;  and  recommended  to  our 
approbation  and  practice  by  the  perfect  example  of  our  blessed 
Master, — "who,  when  he  was  reviled,  reviled  not  again;  when 
he  suffered,  threatened  not;  but  committed  himself  to  Him  who 
judgeth  righteously;"  who  "was  led  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter, 
and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not 
his  mouth." — Cultivate  those  lowly  and  lovely  tempers,  both 
towards  one  another,  and  towards  all  men.  "Walk  worthy  of 
the  vocation  wherewith  ye,  arc  called;  with  all  lowliness  and 
meekness,  with  long-suffering,  forbearing  one  another  in  love; 
endeavoring  to  keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace :" — 
"  Warn  them  that  are  unruly,  comfort  the  feeble-minded,  support 
the  weak,  be  patient  toward  all  men.  See  that  none  render  evil 
for  evil  unto  any  man;  but  ever  follow  that  which  is  good,  both 
among  yourselves,  and  to  all  men :" — "  Love  your  enemies,  bless 
them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for 
them  who  despitefully  use  you,  and  persecute  you ;  that  ye  may 
be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven :  for  he  maketh 
his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain  on 
the  just  and  on  the  unjust." — Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  Eph.  iv.  1-3.  1  Thess. 
V.  14,  15.  Matt.  V.  44,  45,  48;  with  Luke  vi.  36. 

3.  Thirdly;  Let  me  recommend  to  all  "  the  wisdom  that  cometh 
from  above :" — the  knowledge  and  the  faith  of  Divine  truth,  and 
the  practice  of  the  Divine  will.     This  wisdom  is  infinitely  better 


ECCLESIASTES    VII.    7-14.  22^y 

than  any  earthly  inheritance;  than  any  amount  of  earthly  treas- 
ures, in  possession  or  in  hope.     "  It  giveth  life  to  them  that  have 
it."     It  "maketh  wise  unto  salvation'^ — the  most  important  end, 
above  all  comparison,  that  can  engage  the  contemplation,  the  de- 
sire, or  the  pursuit,  of  immortal  beings.     With  this  wisdom  is 
associated  the  favor  of  God,  in  which  is  life;  and  the  "sure  and 
certain  hope"  of  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that 
fadeth  not  aAvay;"  an  inheritance  incomparably  more  excellent, 
and  infinitely  more  enduring,  than  the  finest  and  the  largest  on 
earth;  an  inheritance,  of  which  "the  land  that  flowed  with  milk 
and  honey"  was  but  a  poor  and  temporary  figure;  "the  better, 
the  heavenly  country."     He  is  emphatically  a  fool,  who  disregards 
this  "eternal  inheritance,"  and  "lays  up  for  himself  treasures  on 
earth,  where  moth  and  rust  corrupt,  and  thieves  break  through 
and  steal."     Jesus  Christ  is  "the  wisdom  of  God."     The  knowl- 
edge of  Him  in  his  true  character  and  mediatorial  work,  is  eternal 
life.     Prize  more  and  more,  my  Christian  brethren,  this  saving 
knowledge,  and  hold  it  fast  unto  the  end;  when  its  true  value, 
partially  appreciated  now,  will  be  fully  apparent,  and  delightfully 
experienced.     "Will  ye  also  go  away?"  said  Jesus  to  his  twelve 
apostles,  with  the  look  and  the  tone  of  tender  interest,  when  some 
had  "  gone  back,  and  walked  no  more  with  him."  "  Lord,"|said  Pe- 
ter in  reply, — and,  oh !  adopt  ye  the  answer,  and  let  it  come  from  a 
devoted  spirit, — "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  thou  hast  the  words 
of  ETERXAL  life!" — "Beware,  lest,  being  led  away  by  the  error 
of  the  wicked,  ye  fall  from  your  own  steadfastness;  but  grow  in 
grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ."    John  vi.  68.   2  Pet.  iii.  17,  18.     "And  may  God,  who 
commanded  the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  shine  into  the 
hearts "  of  all  who  hear  me,  "  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge 
of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ !" 

4.  Fourthly;  Let  the  mixture  of  prosperity  and  adversity,  which 
in  this  world  is  seen  and  felt  by  all,  produce  in  all  the  blessed 
effects  that  have  been  described.  Instead  of  carping  at  the  divine 
arrangements,  and  vainly  seeking  jiermanent  enjoyment  amidst 
the  uncertainties  and  fluctuations  of  the  world,  be  satisfied  with 
what  you  cannot  improve ;  bow  to  what  you  cannot  alter ;  and 
turn  for  constant  and  lasting  happiness  to  that  "  Father  of  lights  " 
who  is  the  author  of  "every  good  and  perfect  gift;"  who  has 


224  LECTURE    XII. 

stamped  mutability  and  fickleness  on  every  thing  created,  and  is 
liimself  alone  "without  variableness  or  shadow  of  turning."  Let 
those  who  know  God, — who  have  "tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gra- 
cious/'— cultivate  and  display  tempers  of  mind  corresponding  to 
the  states  in  which  his  providence  alternately  places  them.  Let 
the  one  and  the  other  lead  them  to  himself.  "I  have  learned," 
says  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles, — may  we  all  learn,  from  the  same 
heavenly  teacher,  the  same  blessed  lesson! — "I  have  learned,  in 
■whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content.  I  know  both 
how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  how  to  abound :  every  where,  and 
in  all  things,  I  am  instructed,  both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry, 
both  to  abound  and  to  suffer  need.  I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  who  strengtheneth  me."  Phil.  iv.  11-13. 

5.  Lastly ;  And  oh!  let  the  man  of  this  world,  whether  at  the 
present  moment  in  prosperity  or  adversity,  be  persuaded  to  "  con- 
sider." A  portion,  in  a  scene  so  changeful  and  so  fleeting,  will 
not  do.  If  you  are  prospering,  recollect  that,  short  as  your  earthly 
life  must  be,  your  prosperity  may  be  shorter.  If  you  are  suffering, 
you  have  already  learned  the  precariousness  of  prosperity.  "Set 
not,  then,  your  eyes  any  more  on  that  which  is  not;"  but  seek  for 
yourselves,  "in  heaven,  a  better  and  more  enduring  substance;" — 
in  heaven,  where  prosperity  and  adversity  are  no  longer  set  "the 
<one  over  against  the  other,"  but  all  is  "fulness  of  joy,  and  pleas- 
ures for  evermore."  Fret  not  at  the  vanity  of  the  world.  Murmur 
not  that  your  prosperity  has  not  been  more  steady.  Its  departure, 
if  you  rightly  improve  it,  may  do  you  infinitely  more  good  than 
you  could  have  derived  from  its  longest  continuance,  or  its  highest 
possible  augmentation.  Vent  not  a  sinful  spleen  in  unprofitable 
complaints  of  the  times,  and  repinings  that  your  lot  had  not  been 
cast  in  an  earlier  and  a  better  age.  The  times,  no  doubt,  are  bad ; 
yet  bad  times  might  be  the  best  times  for  mankind,  if  they  would 
but  make  a  right  use  of  them,  and  learn  from  them  the  salutary 
lessons  of  spiritual  wisdom.  And  M'ith  you,  my  friends,  the  very 
best  times  are  bad, — miserably  bad, — whilst  you  continue  to  live 
"'without  God  in  the  world."  The  best  times  are  the  worst,  if 
they  take  away  your  hearts  from  him,  and  impose  upon  you  the 
unsubstantial  and  passing  shadows  of  happiness  for  its  solid  and 
eternal  realities.  "  O  taste,  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good :  blessed 
is  tne  man  that  trusteth  in  him." 


LECTURE  Xni 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  15-22. 

*■''  All  (tbings)  have  I  seen  in  the  days  of  my  vanity :  there  is  a  just  (man)  th.it 
perisheth  in  his  righteousness,  and  there  is  a  wicked  (man)  that  prolongcth 
{his  life)  in  his  wickedness.  16.  Be  not  righteous  over  much ;  neither  make 
thyself  over  wise:  why  shouldest  thou  destroy  thyself  ?  17.  Benotover  much 
wicked,  neither  be  thou  foolish:  why  shouldest  thou  die  before  thy  time? 
18.  (It  is)  good  that  thou  shouldest  take  hold  of  this;  yea,  also  from  this 
withdraw  not  thine  hand :  for  he  that  feareth  God  shall  come  forth  of  them 
all.  19.  Wisdom  strengtheneth  the  wise  more  than  ten  mighty  (men)  who 
are  in  the  city.  20.  For  (there  is)  not  a  jnst  man  upon  earth,  that  doeth 
good,  and  sinneth  not,  21.  Also  take  no  heed  unto  all  words  that  arc 
spoken ;  lest  thou  hear  thy  servant  curse  thee :  22.  For  oftentimes  also 
thine  own  heart  knoweth  that  thou  thyself  likewise  hast  cursed  others." 

Verse  15.  All  things  have  I  seen  in  the  days  of  my  tanity:  there 
is  a  just  man  that  perisheth  in  his  righteousness,  and  there  is  a  loiehed 
man  that  jyrolongeth  Ms  life  in  his  vnekedness. 

"Behold/'  says  the  Psalmist,  "thou  hast  made  my  days  as  a 
hand-breadth,  and  mine  age  is  as  nothing  before  thee :  verily  every 
man,  at  his  best  estate,  is  altogether  vanity."  All  a  man's  days 
on  earth  might  therefore  be  with  propriety  denominated  "the 
days  of  his  vanity."  The  designation,  however,  appears  to  be  ap- 
plied by  Solomon  to  tha.t  period  of  his  life,  during  which  he  for- 
sook God,  and  tried  to  find  his  happiness  from  worldly  sources. 
The  days  of  this  period  were,  indeed,  emphatically  what  he  here 
denominates  them.  In  the  course  of  these  days,  he  had  taken  a 
very  extensive  survey  of  human  life,  and  had  marked  with  atten- 
tion, in  the  spirit  of  a  philosophical  observer,  the  various  circum- 
stances which,  in  different  situations,  affected  the  happiness  of 
mankind: — "All  things,"  says  he,  in  verse  fifteenth,  "have  I  seen 
in  the  days  of  my  vanity." 
15 


226  LECTUEE  XIII, 

He  specifies  one  of  his  observations,  and  founds  upon  it  tlie 
counsel  of  wisdom: — "There  is  a  just  man  that  perisheth  in  his 
righteousness,  and  there  is  a  wicked  man  that  prolongeth  his  life 
in  his  wickedness."  The  subject  here,  I  apprehend,  is  not  the 
conduct  of  Divine  providence  respecting  the  fortunes  and  lives  of 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  but  rather  the  treatment  which 
these  two  opposite  characters  frequently  experience  from  the  world; 
though  this,  no  doubt,  takes  place  under  the  superintendence,  and 
by  the  permission,  of  Heaven.  Solomon  had  noted  various  in- 
stances, in  which  the  consistently  righteous  man, — the  man  who 
by  his  conduct  "  testifies  against  the  world  that  its  deeds  are  evil ;" 
and  especially  one  who,  along  with  this  character,  holds  a  station 
of  power  and  eminence  in  which  he  feels  his  obligation  to  act 
conscientiously,  without  regard  to  fear  or  to  favor,  to  flattery  or 
to  threatening,— exposed  himself  to  the  malignant  operation  of 
hatred  and  envy,  by  which  his  days  had  been  at  once  imbittered 
and  cut  short,  through  open  violence  or  by  secret  treachery :  whilst 
the  wicked  man  had  "prolonged  his  life  in  his  wickedness,"  act- 
ing on  principles  more  congenial  to  the  likings  of  the  world  in 
which  he  lived,  and  employing  arts  for  his  preservation  such  as 
the  just  man  could  not  in  conscience  have  recourse  to:  so  that 
sometimes  he  had  even  succeeded  in  lengthening  out  his  days  hy 
his  wickedness,  wdiilst  the  good  man  had  prematurely  perished/or 
his  righteousness.  From  the  days  of  "  righteous  Abel,"  downward 
through  the  history  of  all  nations,  facts  are  not  wanting  in  corrob- 
oration of  Solomon's  statement.  The  whole  army  of  martyrs,  as 
well  as  many  an  ill-requited  patriot,  might  be  brought  as  wit- 
nesses to  its  truth. 

With  this  general  observation  what  follows  is  to  be  considered 
as  in  immediate  connection: — 

"  Verses  16-18.  Be  not  righteous  ovei^  much;  neither  malx  thyself 
ovefi^  %oise;  why  shouldst  thou  destroy  thyself  f  Be  not  over  much 
wicked,  neither  he  thou  foolish  ^  why  shouldst  thou  die  before  thy  timef 
It  is  good  that  tlwu  shouldst  take  hold  of  this;  yea,  also  from  this 
withdraio  not  thy  hand:  for  he  that  feareth  God  shall  come  forth  oj 
them  all. 

Persons  who  relish  not,  nor  study,  the  word  of  God  as  a  whole, 
have  often  particular  parts  of  it  which  they  like ;  favorite  texts, 
such  as,  when  severed  from  their  connection,  and  regarded  in  their 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  15-22.  227 

sound  rather  than  their  sense,  appear  to  suit  their  pre-conceived 
opinions  and  prevalent  desires.  These  little  insulated  scraps  of 
Scripture,  misunderstood  and  perverted,  and  applied  to  purposes 
the  very  opposite  of  the  Divine  intention,  obtain  a  free  currency 
amongst  multitudes  of  people,  many  of  whom,  perhaps,  never  read 
them  in  their  Bibles,  but  have  got  them  at  second-hand  as  max- 
ims of  high  authority ;  and  they  are  quote  on  all  occasions,  and 
referred  to  with  the  easy  confidence  of  a  geometrician  quoting  his 
axioms.  In  this,  and  in  many  other  ways,  the  word  of  God  meets 
with  treatment  which  would  be  resented  as  an  insult  by  any  hu- 
man author;  being  made  to  express  sentiments  in  perfect  contra- 
riety to  its  general  spirit,  and  even  to  its  most  explicit  declara- 
tions. 

Few  texts  (perhaps  I  might  say  none)  have  been  in  such  gene- 
ral favor;  have  been  caught  at,  and  circulated,  and  appealed  to 
with  approbation  by  so  great  a  variety  of  characters ;  as  the  first 
clause  of  the  sixteenth  verse, — "Be  not  righteous  overmuch." 
^ts  grand  recommendation  lies  in  its  being  so  undefined;  suscepti- 
ble of  so  many  shades  of  meaning;  prescribing  no  precise  bound- 
aries, but  leaving  matters  conveniently  at  large;  and  thus  afford- 
ing latitude  for  every  man  to  fix  his  own  standard,  (and  even  that 
may  be  very  fluctuating,)  and  then  to  ajDpeal  to  Scripture  against 
all  who  go  beyond  him,  as  exceeding  reasonable  bouijds,  and  be- 
ing "righteous- over  much."  For  it  is  surprising  how  men  who 
hate  and  disregard  the  Bible  in  its  great  truths  and  requirements, 
will  yet  quote  its  words,  nay,  even  plead  for  its.  authority,  when 
it  can  be  made,  by  any  perversion,  to  accord  with  their  own  incli- 
nations, ' 

The  saying  is  a  favorite  one  with  the  profligate,  Avho,  in  curs- 
ing the  enthusiasm  and  hypocrisy  of  others,  vainly  fancies  that 
he  is  vindicating  his  own  vice  and  folly ;  and  who  reckons  it  quite 
a  sufficient  reason  for  rejecting  with  scorn  a  serious  and  salutary 
advice,  that  it  comes  from  one  whom  all  must  allow  to  be — "righ- 
teous over  much !" 

Often,  on  the  other  hand,  is  it  appealed  to  by  the  man  of  mor- 
ality, who,  with  stern  severity,  condemns  the  profligate,  but  who 
piques  himself  on  his  own  sobriety,  honesty,  industry,  kindness, 
and  general  decenc};  of  character;  and  making  this  external  vir- 
tue his  religion,  though  without  a  single  sentiment  or  emotion  of 


228  LEci'uRE  xirr. 

inward  godliness,  considers  every  thing  beyond  it  as  being-"- 
"righteous  over  mHch!" 

Many,  who  are  equally  destitute  of  the  true  spirit  of  religion; 
who  feel  its  services  an  irksome  drudgery;  whose  secret  language 
in  them  all  is, — "  What  a  weariness  is  it !"  and  who,  therefore,  satisfy 
their  consciences  with  very  flimsy  apologies  for  the  neglect  of  them, 
are  ever  ready  to  pronounce  those  "righteous  over  much,"  who 
cannot  see  their  excuses  in  the  same  satisfactory  light  with  them- 
selves. 

This  admonition,  too,  is  a  weapon  in  constant  use  with  the 
thousands,  whose  religion  consists  in  the  strict  observance  of  its 
outward  forms,  in  their  appropriate  times  and  places.  They  would 
not  for  the  woidd  be  missed  out  of  their  pew  on  the  Sabbath,  and 
with  even  greater  reluctance  on  certain  days  of  human  institution. 
But  they  are  clear  for  keeping  religion  in  its  proper  place.  This 
is  a  topic  on  which  they  continually  insist;  a  sj)ecies  of  jiroiwiety 
which,  in  company  with  a  smile  of  self-complacency,  is  for  ever 
on  their  lips.  It  is  all  well,  if  a  man  minds  religion  on  its  own 
appropriate  day,  and  attends  to  his  business  the  rest  of  the  week. 
These  things  must  not  be  made  to  clash.  "Six  days  shalt  thou 
labor,  and  one  thou  shalt  rest,"  are  God's  own  prescriptions: — 
and  the  Bible  itself  enjoins  us  not  to  be — "righteous  over  much!" 

But  thete  are  none  to  whom  this  favorite  caution  is  of  more  es- 
sential service,  than  those  professors  of  religion,  of  whom,  alas ! 
the  number  is  not  small,  who,  disliking  "the  offence  of  the  cross," 
are  desirous  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  both  Christ  and  the  world; 
and  who  cover  from  others,  and  try  to  cover  from  themselves,  the 
real  principle  of  their  conduct,  by  prudential  maxims  of  imposing 
plausibility,  and  some  of  them  in  the  terms  of  Scripture.  The 
wisdom  of  the  serpent,  they  say,  is  recommended  to  ua,  as  well  as 
the  harmlessness  of  the  dove.  They  cannot  see  the  use  of  ex- 
posing themselves  and  their  religion  to  needless  derision.  They 
are  ever  mightily  afraid,  lest,  by  the  over-strictness  and  uncom- 
plying spirit  of  its  professors,  men  should  be  led  to  form  gloomy 
notions  of  the  gospel,  as  a  system  of  morose  and  jiuritanical  aus- 
terity. "We  must  needs  go  out  of  the  world,"  they  allege,  "if 
we  are  to  take  no  part  in  its  pleasures."  Under  the  pretext  of 
recommending  religion,  such  persons  meet  the  world  half-way; 
they  join  in  its  follies  and  vain  amusements;  they  rather  court 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  15-22.  229 

than  shun  its  intercourse;  f>,nd  they  sanction  their  unseemly  com- 
pliances by  an  appeal  to  the  admonition  before  us;  regarding  the 
reproach  cast  upon  others  who  tliink  a  more  decided  and  marked 
separation  from  the  world  their  duty,  as  bixjught  upon  them- 
selves by  their  own  imprudence, — by  carnfing  matters  too  far, — 
by  being  "righteous  over  much!" 

A  passage  of  Scripture  that  has  been  so  much  abused,  and  of 
which  the  abuse  is  so  extensively  prejudicial,  it  is  of  great  im- 
portance rightly  to  understand:  and,  before  noticing  any  of  the 
different  views  that  have  been  taken  of  it,  I  shall  state  what  to  me 
appears  to  be  its  true  meaning. 

The  whole  passage  seems  to  be  an  instance  of  serious  and  im- 
pressive IRONY:  of  which  the  subject  is,  the  line  of  conduct  most 
prudent  to  be  pursued,  supposing  the  end  in  view  to  be  the  secur- 
ing of  favor,  honor,  and  prosperity  in  the  world.  Thus : — "  There 
is  a  just  man  that  perisheth  in  his  righteousness,  and  there  is  a 
wicked  man  that  prolongeth  his  life  in  his  wickedness."  If,  there- 
fore, you  wish  to  avoid  the  enmity  of  the  world,  with  its  mis- 
chievous and  sometimes  deadly  consequences,  and  to  insure  favor, 
success,  honor,  and  long  life, — "be  not  righteous  over  much:" — 
remember  that  religion  is  a  matter,  in  which  men,  in  general,  are 
particularly  fond  of  moderation ;  and  beware  of  assuming  an  ap- 
pearance of  sanctity  greater  than  the  world  is  disposed  to  approve 
of,  or  to  bear  witJi. — "  Neither  make  thyself  over  wise ;  why  shouldst 
thou  destroy  thyself?"  Recollect,  that  the  same  feelings  of  envy 
and  malignant  jealousy  may  be  excited,  as  they  very  often  have 
been,  by  high  degrees  of  superior  intelligence  and  wisdom.  Be 
not  obtrusive,  therefore,  with  your  eminent  endowments.  Deal 
prudently.  Be  cautious  of  exasperating  the  jealous  pride  of  others. 
Besides  the  risks  that  arise  from  envy,  such  qualities  may  bring 
you  often  into  the  critical  situation  of  an  arbitrator;  in  which  you 
must  unavoidably  expose  yourself  to  the  re-seutment  of  one  or  other 
of  the  parti&s,  and  possibly  even  of  both.  A  nd  from  various  other 
sources  danger  may  arise  to  you.  But,  at  the  same  time,  beware. 
Similar  effects  may  be  j^roduced  by  opposite  causes.  Although 
men  do  not  like  over  much  religion,  you  must  be  on  your  guard, 
on  the  other  hand,  against  the  extreme  of  wickedness: — "Be  not 
over  much  wicked."  You  will  expose  yourself  to  suspicion  and 
hatred,  as  a  dangerous  member  of  society :  men  will  become  your 


230  LECTURE  XIII. 

enemies  ,from  fear,  and  will  think  they  confer  a  benefit  on  the 
community,  by  making  riddance  of  you :  nay,  in  the  excess  of 
riotous  and  unbridled  profligacy  you  may  be  betrayed  into  deeds 
which  may  awaken  the  vengeance  of  human  laws,  and  bring  you  to 
an  untimely  end.  Let  prudent  consideration,  then,  set  bounds  to 
your  licentiousness. — ^" Neither  be  thou  foolish;  why  shouldst  thou 
die  before  thy  time?"  As  there  are  hazards  attending  high  pre- 
tensions to  wisdom,  so  are  there  risks  peculiar  to  folly.  The 
absolute  fool  becomes  the  object  of  contempt.  His  life  is  hardly 
thojLight  worth  an  effort,  faf  less  a  sacrifice,  for  its  preservation. 
The  fool  is  easily  made  the  tool  and  the  dupe  of  a  party;  expos- 
ing himself  to  be  the  prey  of  virulent  enemies,  or  of  selfish  pre- 
tended friends.  Folly  leads  a  man  into  innumerable  scrapes.  It 
may  induce  him  heedlessly  to  mix  with  ^vicked  associates,  and  may 
thus,  as  indeed  has  many  a  time  happened,  occasion  his  suffering 
for  crimes  in  the  perpetration  of  which  he  had  no  active  hand„ 
and  which,  fool  as  he  is,  he  would  shrink  from  committing.  And 
in  numberless  ways  he  may  come,  by  his  folly,  to  "die  before  his 
time."  If,  therefore,  I  repeat,  your  object  be  to  shun  the  world's 
enmity,  with  its  possible  and  probable  effects,  and  to  secure  the 
world's  favor,  Avith  its  desirable  accompaniments  and  consequences^ 
take  care  of  these  extremes; — as  "there  is  a  just  man  that  perish- 
eth  in  his  righteousness,  be  not  righteous  over  much,  neither  make 
thyself  over  v/ise;  why  shouldst  thou  destroy  thyself?" — and 
though  "a  wicked  man"  may,  and  sometimes  does,  "prolong  his 
life  in  his  wickedness,"  yet  "be  not  overmuch  wicked,  neither  be 
thou  foolish;  why  shouldst  thou  die  before  thy  time?". 

All  Scripture  irony  is  serious,  and  intended  to  impress  on  the  mind 
important  lessons.  The  passage  is,  in  this  respect,  similar  to  that 
striking  one  towards  the  close  of  the  book: — "Rejoice,  O  young 
man,  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy 
youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways  of  thy  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine 
eyes: — but  know  thou  that  for  all  these  things  God  will  bring 
thee  into  judgment."  So  here,  the  admonition  closes  with  an 
impressive  recommendation  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  as  the  best 
and  only  means  of  inspiring  true  peace  and  tranquil  security  of 
mind ;  as  a  sovereign  antidote  against  the  fear  of  man ;  and  a 
powerful  incentive  to  the  faithful  and  firm  discharge  of  duty  in 
every  situation : — 


ECCLESIASTES  VJI.  15-22.  231 

Verse  18.  "It  is  good  that  thou  shouldst  take  hold  of  this,  yea, 
also  from  this  withdraw  not  thy  hand:  for  HE  THAT  feareth 
God  shall  come  foktpi  of  them  all." 

"It  is  good" — supremely  good  and  advantageous — "that  thou 
shouldst  lay  hold. on  this," — that  is,  on  what  I  am  now  about  to 
mention;  "yea,  also  from  this  withdraw  not  thy  hand," — that  is, 
let  this  antidote  against  the  perils  of  an  evil  world,  and  against 
the  fear  of  man,  which  so  often  brings  a  snare,  be  the  subject  of 
thy  constant  and  attentive  remembrance;  the  object  of  thy  supreme 
and  unceasing  desire,  and  of  thine  unabated  endeavors  after  its 
thorough  attainment  and  its  permanent  influence; — "for  he  that 
feareth  God  shall  come  forth  of  them  all."  Instead,  of  adopting 
any  of  the  maxims,  or  following  any  of  the  schemes,  of  a  carnal 
policy  and  worldly  wisdom,  "be  thou  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  all 
the  day  long:" — "Sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  heart;  let  him 
be  your  fear,  and  let  him  be  your  dread :  and  He  shall  be  for  a 
sanctuary."  He  shall  be  thy  fortress  and  strong  tower;  so  that 
thou  shalt  not  need  to  be  afraid  of  what  man  can  do  unto  thee. 
^'Thou  shalt  dwell  on  high;  and  thy  place  of  defense  shall  be  the 
munition  of  rocks." — "  He  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place  of  the 
Most  High,  shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty.  I 
will  say  of  the  Lord,  He  is  my  refuge  and  my  fortress;  my  God; 
in  him  will  I  trust.  He  shall  cover  thee  with  his  feathers,  and 
under  his  wings  shalt  thou  trust:  liLs  truth  shall  be  thy  shield 
and  buckler."  Psalm  xci.  1,  2,  4. — "  Fear  not  them  who  kill  the 
body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul :  but  rather  fear  him,  who 
is  able  to  destroy  both  soul^nd  body  in  hell.  Are  not  two  spar- 
rows sold  for  a  farthing?  and  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  to  the 
ground  without  your  Father.  But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head 
are  all  numbered.  Fear  ye  not,  therefore,  ye  are  of  more  value 
than  many  sparrows."  Matt.  x.  28-31. 

The  nineteenth  verse  may  be  connected  with  this,  as  containing 
an  amplification  of  the  idea  expressed  in  the  latter  part  of  it: — 

Verse  19.  Wisdom  strengtheneth  the  ivise  more  than  ten  mighty  men 
who  are  in  the  city. 

"Wisdom," — that  is,  this  wisdom,  the  fear  of  God,  declared  in 
other  places  to  be  wisdom,  and  the  beginning  of  wisdom, — this 
wisdom  "strengtheneth  the  wise:"  it  fortifies  and  invigorates  the 
soul;  it  elevates  it  above  every  other  fear;  it  inspires  the  heart 


232  LECTURE  xm. 

rath,  a  firm  feeling  of  security,  and  with  resolute,  undaunted 
courage  in  the  path  of  duty,  however  beset  with  enemies  and  ob- 
structed by  difficulties.  "Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  j>erfect  peace 
whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee." — 
^'-  Wisdom  strengtheneth  the  wise  more" — imparts  to  them  more  of 
inward  confidence,  and  of  real  safety — "than  ten  mighty  men;"  ten 
experienced  and  skilful,  powerful  and  intrepid  leaders;  or,  under- 
standing the  number  ten  as  a  definite  for  an  indefinite,  more  than  any 
number  of  valiant  warriors  "who  are  in  the  city"  can  give  to  its 
inhabitants  when  invested  by  a  besieging  foe.  Such  a  cit}^  may  be 
deemed  secure,  when  so-  defended :  but  the  fear  of  God  is  a  still 
stronger  and  surer  defense  to  those  who  put  their  trust  in  his  power 
and  mercy. — Or,  supposing  the  "ten  mighty  men  who  are  in  the 
city"  to  be  the  foes  of  "him  who  fears  God,"  wisdom  makes  him 
stronger  than  his  enemies;  gives  him  fortitude  of  mind  against 
them,  however  numerous  and  however  mighty.  He  that  is  with 
him  is  more  than  all  that  can  be  against  him;  so  that  he  may  say, 
with  the  Psalmist, — "Though  a  host  should  encamp  against  me, 
my  heart  shall  not  fear;  though  war  should  rise  against  me,  in 
this  will  I  be  confident:" — "I  laid  me  down  and  slept;  I  awaked, 
for  the  Lord  sustained  me :  I  will  not  be  afraid  of  ten  thousands 
of  people,  that  have  set  themselves  against  me  round  about."  The 
felt  security  of  those  who- are  under  the  special  protecting  care  of  the 
Almighty,  is  finely  represented  by  the  case  of  the  prophet  Elisha,. 
when  surrounded  in  Dothan  by  the  host  of  the  king  of  Syria. 
When  his  servant,  on  rising  in  the  morning,  saw  the  city  invested 
on  all  sides  with  horses  and  chariots,  he  said,  with  a  fearful  heart,, 
"Alas!  my  master,  how  shall  we  do?"  Elisha  answered^ — "Fear 
not;  for  they  that  be  with  us  are  mo-re  than  they  that  be  with 
them."  And  he  prayed,  and  said, — "Lord,  I  pray  thee,  open  his 
eyes  that  he  may  see.  And  the  Lord  opened  the  eyes  af  the  young 
man,  and  he  saw:  and  behold  the  mountain  was  full  of  horses  and 
chariots  of  fire  round  about  Elisba."  This  host  of  the  Lord  was. 
unseen  but  by  the  eye  of  faith.  To  the  mind  of  the  prophet  it 
imparted  the  most  fearless  composure,  under  circumstances  in  which^ 
to  the  eye  of  sense,  his  destructio.n  must  have  seemed  inevitable. 
2  Kings  vi.  15-17. 

In  vindication  of  the  general  principle  which  I  have  adopted 
for  the  explanation  of  this  passage,  let  it  now  be  observed,  in  the 


ECCLESIASTES   VII.   15-22.  233 

jird  place:  The  motives  which  Solomon  employs  to  recommend  and 
inforce  his  advice  evidently  show  that,  in  the  fifteenth  verse,  >vhen 
he  speaks  of  "a  righteous  man  perishing  in  his  righteousness,  and 
a  wicked  man  prolonging  his  life  in  his  Avickedness,"  he  refers  not 
directly  to  the  conduct  of  providence,  but  to  tlie  consequences 
arising  to  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  from  the  feelings  of  man- 
kind towards  them:  for,  in  the  ordinary  administration  of  God, 
the  duration  of  human  life  does  not  appear  to  be  at  all  regulated 
by  the  characters  of  men. 

Secondly.  If  the  counsel, — "Be  not  righteous  over  much"  means, 
that  it  is  our  duty  to  be  righteous,  but  that  we  should  beware  of 
excess  in  righteousness;  tlien  the  opposite  counsel, — "Be  not  over 
much  wicked,"  if  taken  seriously,  (that  is,  as  having  nothing  in 
it  of  the  nature  of  irony,)  must,  on  the  same  principle  of  interpre- 
tation, be  understood  to  signify,  that  we  may  be  wicked,  provided 
we  take  due  care  not  to  exceed,  or  to  go  beyond  bounds  in  our 
wickedness.  But  this,  surely,  can  never  be  the  counsel  of  the  word 
of  God.  Every  reader  of  the  Bible  will  be  instantly  sensible  how 
much  it  is  out  of  unison  with  the  universal  tenor  of  its  sentiment 
and  phraseology. 

Thirdly.  Righteousness,  when  opposed,  as  it  is  here,  to  wicked- 
ness, usually  means,  in  Scripture  language,  true  religion  in  general, 
in  all  its  various  branches,  of  principle  and  of  practice;  the  intire 
profession  and  course  of  conduct  of  a  good  man.  In  this  enlarged 
sense  I  understand  it  here;  and  this  makes  me  dissatislied  with 
other  interpretations  of  the  passage. 

Some  consider  righteousness  as  referring  particularly  to  the  ex- 
ercise oi justice,  Sind  the  admonition  not  to  be  righteous  over  much, 
as  a  caution  against  the  over-rigid  application  of  the  principles  of 
equity;  pressing  every  thing  to  an  extreme;  never  tempering  jus- 
tice with  clemency,  but  exacting  satisfliction  and  punishment, 
without  mercy,  on  all  occasions,  even  for  the  most  trivial  faults. 
But  if  righteousness  mean  simply  justice,  then  wickedness  must 
mean  simply  injustice;  and  if  "be  not  righteous  over  much"  be 
a  warning  against  the  extreme  of  justice,  "be  not  over  much 
wicked"  must  be  a  warning  against  the  extreme  of  injustice;  a 
warning  which  we  certainly  should  not  expect  to  find  in  that  book 
which  admits  of  no  compromise  between  right  and  wrong,  and 
whose  sentence  is, — "He  that  is  faithful  in  that  which  is  least  is 


231  LETUrtE  XIII. 

faithful  also  in  much;  and  he  that  unjust  in  the  least  is  unjust 
also  in  much."  Luke  xvi.  16.  Those  who  have  adopted  the 
interpretation  I  am  speaking  of  have  not,  I  think,  sufficiently 
attended  to  the  antithesis  in  the  passage;  nor;  duly  considered,  that 
the  true  principle  of  interpretation,  whatever  it  may  be,  ought 
to  apply,  with  equal  fairness  and  ease,  to  both  sides  of  it.  There 
is  reason,  indeed,  to  think,  that  the  counsel — "  be  not  righteous 
over  much,"  is  quoted  by  multitudes  without  the  most  distant 
recollection,  and  by  not  a  few  without  even  the  Jcnowledge,  of  its 
being  followed  immediately  by  the  admonition  not  to  be  "over 
much  wicked." 

Others,  understanding  the  terms  "righteous"  and  "wicked," 
as  I  think  they  ought  to  be  understood,  in  their  more  general  ac- 
ceptation; and  at  the  same  time  conceiving  "Be  not  righteous 
over  much"  to  be  Solomon's  serious  counsel;  cannot,  however, 
deny,  that  of  true  righteousness,  of  real  religion,  of  genuine,  un- 
sophisticated goodness,  there  cannot  be  excess.  They  are,  there- 
fore, under  ,the  necessity  of  qualifying  and  restricting  after  all. 
Some  of  them  explain  the  words  as  a  caution  against  intemperate 
zeal,  exerting  itself  indiscreetly,  contentiously,  and  to  the  injury  of 
religion : — some,  as  a  warning  against  a  blind  and  bigoted  supersti- 
tion, displaying  itself  in  an  excessive  attachment  to  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  human  invention;  or  even,  it  may  be,  to  external  insti- 
tutions of  Divine  appointment;  Avhilst  the  spirit  of  vital  godliness 
is  intirely  or  in  a  great  measure  overlooked: — others,  as  an  admo- 
nition against  a  needless  scrupulosity  about„  trifles ;  a  want  of  proper 
discrimination  between  smaller  and  greater  matters;  between  what 
have  been  termed  essentials,  and  non-essentials ;  from  which  have 
arisen  the  hottest  contentious,  and  numberless  unnecessary  schisms. 

Of  all  these,  and  other  interpretations  of  a  similar  kind  that 
might  be  noticed,  it  may  be  observed  in  general: — First,  that  these 
things  are  not  properly  righteousness  ;  but  the  mere  adjuncts,  and 
unjustifiable  accompaniments  or  counterfeits  of  righteousness :  and 
secondly,  that  if  such  things  are  meant  in  the  exhortation,  "  Be  not 
righteous  over  much,"  if  will  follow,  that  what  is  said  in  the  verse 
preceding,  of  "  the  righteous  man  perishing  in  his  righteousness," 
must  be  considered  as  expressing,  not  the  consequence  of  his  real 
godliness  itself,  but  of  his  imprudent  profession  and  practice,  or 
his  needlessly  ostentatious  display,  of  it.     But  tliis  certainly  is  not 


ECX'LESIASTES   VII.    15-22.  235 

what  Solomon  means,  when  he  contrasts  the  "righteous  perishing 
in  his  righteousness,"  and  the  "wicked  prolonging  his  life  in  his 
wickedness." 

Considering  righteousne.<^s,  then,  in  its  proper  sense;  in  the  sense 
in  which  it  is  generally  used  in  the  Bible;  I  must  repeat  what  has 
before  been  hinted,  that  no  nmn  who  is  conversant  in  the  contents 
of  that  blessed  volume,  can  for  a  moment  admit  the  idea  of  its 
containing  a  caution  against  the  excess  of  it; — the  excess  of  true 
relfgion  and  moral  obedience.  Were  such  excess  possibk,  surely 
it  is  not  the  side  on  which  we  are  in  danger  of  erring,  and  require 
to  be  seriously  admonished.  Shall  Ave  warn  him  against  too  much 
spirituality  of  mind,  who  feels  himself  by  nature  "carnal,  sold 
under  sin,"  and  in  whose  bosom  the  "law  of  sin"  is  incessantly 
striving  against  the  "law  of  his  mind?"  Shall  we  put  him  on  his 
guard  against  allowing  the  love  of  God,— the  comprehensive  princi- 
ple of  all  righteousness, — to  occupy  too  much  of  his  heart,  whose 
nature  is  enmity  against  him?  Shall  we  caution  against  loQking 
too  constantly  at  the  things  which  are  unseen  and  eternal,  a  crea- 
ture whose  propensities  are  so  powerful  to  seek  liis  portion  in  the 
things  that  are  r,een  and  temporal:  who  feels  his  affections  drawn 
downward,  and  bound  to  the  earth  ?  How  preposterous  the  thought, 
of  warning  a  sinful  creature  against  the  excess  of  holiness! — a  self- 
ish creature  against  the  excess  of  benevolence  and  integrity ! — an 
earthly-minded  creature  against  too  intimate  fellovv'ship  with 
heaven  ! — a  creature  surrounded  with  temptations  to  equivocate  be- 
tween God  and  the  world,  and  who  carries  about  within  him  prin- 
ciples of  the  old  man.,  to  -^Vhich,  alas !  these  temptations  are  too 
congenial,  against  a  profession  and  conduct  too  decided  on  the  part 
of  God  and  of  godliness ! — a  creature  who  is  so  much  in  danger  of 
seeking  glory  from  men,  against  estimating  too  highly  or  coveting 
too  eagerly,  the  honor  that  cometh  from  God  only! — a  creature,  in 
a  word,  that  has  so  many  sadly  prevailing  tendencies  to  the  intire 
dereliction  of  righteousness,  against  being  "righteous  over  much !" 

Lasfbj.  The  whole  of  the  language  of  the  Divine  word,  in  do- 
scribing  the  character  at  which  God's  people  ought  continually  to 
aim,  is  fitted  to  impress  on  every  mind  the  impossibility  of  the 
dreaded  excess, — of  being  "righteous  over  much."  Let  a  few 
passages  suffice  as  a  specimen  of  many.  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ ; 
he  is  anew  creature:  old  things  are  passed  away;  behold  all  things 


236  LECTURE    XIII. 

are  become  new." — "Every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  him/'  (in 
Christ;  namely,  the  hope  of  seeing  him  as  he  is  and  being  like 
him,)  "jiurifieth  himself  even  as  He  is  pure." — "Brethren,  I  count 
not  myself  to  have  apprehended;  but  this  one  thing  I  do:  for- 
getting the  things  which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those 
things  Avhich  are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark,  for  the  prize  of 
the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." — "Set  your  affection  on 
things  above,  not  on  things  on  the  earth." — "I  beseech  you,  there- 
fore, brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies 
a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  rea- 
sonable service :  and  be  not  conformed  to  this  world ;  but  be  ye 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove 
what  is  the  good,  and  acceptable,  and  perfect  will  of  God." — "  They 
that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  the  flesh,  with  the  affections  and 
lusts." — "Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in  the 
world:  if  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the  Father  is  not 
in  him." — "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon." — "The  friend- 
ship of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God:  whosoever  therefore  will 
be  a  friend  of  the  world,  is  the  enemy  of  God." — "Having  there- 
fore these  promises,  dearly  beloved,  let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from 
all  pollution  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear 
of  God." — "Giving  all  diligence,  add  to  your  faith,  fortitude;  and 
to  fortitude,  knowledge;  and  to  knowledge,  temperance;  and  to 
temperance,  patience ;  and  to  patience,  godliness;  and  to  godli- 
ness, brotherly-kindness ;  and  to  brotherly-kindness,  charity." — 
"For  none  of  us  liveth  to  himself,  and  no  man  dietli  to  himself: 
for  whether  we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord;  and  whether  we  die, 
we  die  unto  the  Lord:  whether  we  live,  therefore,  or  die,  we  are 
the  Lord's."  2  Cor.  v.  17.  1  John  iii.  3.  Phil.  iii.  13,  14.  Col. 
iii.  2.  Kom.  xii.  1,  2.  Gal.  v.  24.  1  John  ii  15.  Matt.  vi.  24. 
James  iv.  4.  2  Cor.  vii.  1.  2  Peter  5-7.  Rom.  xiv.  7,  8.  These 
passages,  which  are  only  an  exemplification  of  the  current  phrase- 
ology of  the  Bible  on  the  subject  of  Christian  holiness,  express  a 
spirituality,  a  decision  and  self-denial,  a  universality,  persever- 
ance, and  progress,  of  practical  obedience,  utterly  inconsistent  with 
any  cautions  against  the  danger  of  excess,  and  admonitions  to 
moderation.  Of  such  sedatives,  alas !  we  stand  not  in  need.  All 
the  exciting  stimulants  that  can  be  applied  to  our  minds  are  few 
enough,  and  weak  enough,  to  keep  us  on  the  alert  against  the 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  15-22.  237 

temptations  of  the  world,  and  alive  to  the  great  ends  of  our  being. 
The  sinless  perfection  of  our  moral  nature,  is  the  object  of  com- 
manded pursuit,  and  of  promised  attainment.  We  can  never,  even 
in  a  future  world,  go  beyond  this;  and  in  the  present  world,  bear- 
ing about  with  us  to  the  end  the  corruption  of  the  old  man,  we 
can  never  reach  it.  We  can  never  exceed  the  requirements  of  the 
precepts  I  have  been  repeating.  To  be  "righteous  over  much/' 
is  an  impossibility. 

The  statement  in  the  twentieth  verse, — - 

Verse  20.  For  there  is  not  a  just  man  %ipon  earthy  that  doethgood, 
and  sinneth  noi^'' — 

Is  made  without  exception  or  qualification ;  and  ought  for  ever 
to  lay  in  the  dust  the  lofty  pretensions  of  some  professing  Chris- 
tians, as  if  they  had  attained  to  a  state  of  perfect  freedom  from 
inward  and  outward  sin ;  a  pretension  pregnant  with  the  most 
astonishing  self-ignorance,  or  the  most  presumptuous  spiritual 
pride.  There  are  "just  men  upon  the  earth:"  they  "do  good," 
and  manifest  by  its  fruits  the  nature  and  qualities  of  the  tree.  But 
there  are  no  perfect  men  upon  earth;  none  who  can  say,  without 
the  most  pitiable  self-deception,  "I  have  no  sin."  There  is  many 
a  one  that  "doeth  good;"  but  no  one  that  "doeth  good  and  sin- 
neth not;" — no,  not  one.  Not  only  are  we  guilty  of  many  sins 
along  with  our  good  deeds ;  but  in  our  good  deeds  themselves  there 
is  sin.  "There  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth  that  doeth  good, 
and,"  even  in  the  good  that  he  doeth,  "sinneth  not."  We  have 
all  of  us  abundant  reason  to  say,  not  only  that  "in  many  things 
we  offend,"  but  that  in  every  thing  we  "fail  and  come  short;"  and 
still  to  come  to  God  with  the  prayer  of  the  publican, — "God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

But  the  connection  of  the  verse  with  what  precedes  is  not,  at 
first  view,  very  obvious:  and  accordingly  difierent  translations 
have  been  proposed  of  the  connective  particle,  rendered  by  our 
translators  "For;''  some  joining  it  with  what  goes  before,  and 
others  with  what  follows.  There  seems  no  need  for  any  altera- 
tion. The  verse  connects  in  a  natural  and  edifying  manner  with 
the  sentiment  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  verses : — "It  is  good 
that  thou  shouldst  lay  hold  of  this;  yea,  also  from  this  withdraw 
not  thy  hand:  for  he  that  feareth  God  shall  come  forth  of  them 
all.  Wisdom," — this  wisdom,  the  fear  of  God, — " strengtheneth 


238  LECTORE    XIII. 

the  wis^  more  than  ten  mighty  men  who  are  in  the  city."  The 
admonition  to  cultivate  the  fear  of  God  is  then  enforced  by  the 
appropriate  consideration,  "For  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth, 
that  doeth  good,  and  sinneth  not."  You  are  a  sinful  and  imper- 
fect creature;  having  the  seeds  of  all  evil  within  you;  evey  lia- 
ble to  feel  the  power  of  temptation,  and  to  fall  before  it.  Cher- 
ish, therefore,  the  fear  of  God,  as  the  great  preventive  of  evil :  the 
strengthening  and  sustaining  principle  amidst  abounding  intimi- 
dations and  allurements;  that  which  alone  can  counteract  the  pro- 
pensities of  corruption.  One  temptation  to  sin,  a  frequent  and  a 
strong  one,  is  the  fear  of  man.  But  the  predominant  fear  of  God 
raises  the  'mind  above  it^  gives  vigor  of  heart,  boldness  of  coun- 
tenance, and  energy  of  resistance ;  and,  maintained  in  exercise  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  secures  the  final  victory. 

Yerses  twenty-first  and  twenty-second  contain  some  further  ne- 
cessary advice,  for  the  preservation  of  our  peace  and  happiness  in 
life:—  ' 

Verses  21,  22.  Also,  take  no  heed  unto  allicords  that  are  spoken; 
lest  thou  hear  thy  servant  curse  thee:  For  oftentimes  also  tlvine  oicn 
heart  hnowcth,  that  thou  thyself  liheioise  hast  cursed  others. 

This  precept  requires  practice  more  than  it  needs  illustration.  Its 
general  nature  is  sufficiently  plain.  It  is  addressed  to  those  who 
are  apt  to  be  jealous  of  what  is  thought  and  what  is  said  about 
them  by  others;  who  are  continually  on  the  tiptoe  of  listening  sus- 
picion. It  has  been  said,  and  is  almost  proverbial,  that  listeners 
seldom  hear  good  of  themselves.  It  is  quite  natural  to  expect  that 
it  should  be  so.  The  very  practice  shows  the  man's  conscience  to 
be  inwardly  whispering  to  himself,  that  it  is  not  good  he  is  en- 
titled to  hear.  The  anxious  curiosity  indicates  the  existence  of 
such  a  secret  suspicion;  and  he  who  indulges  it  well  deserves  the 
mortification  he  receives.  If  we  regard  our  own  happiness,  we 
shall  pay  attention  to  this  admonition.  The/fecling  must  be  one 
of  exquisite  distress,  when  a  man,  expecting  commendation  and 
blessing,  hears  from  the  lips  that  should  have  uttered  it,  reviling 
and  malediction.  In  such  a  case,  surely,  "ignorance  is  bliss."  It 
may  often  happen,  that  a  person,  under  the  irritation  of  temporary 
passion,  may  utter  hastily  the  severe  reflection,  and  the  impreca- 
tion of  evil,  to  which  he  would  by  no  means  stand  in  his  cooler 
moments.     What  he  has  hastily  uttered  he  quickly  fcgets.     P?i* 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  15-22.  2.30 

lie  who  is  the  subject  of  it  cannot  so  readily  banish  it  from  his 
mind;  he  cannot,  from  his  self-partiality,  make  adequate  allow- 
ance for  the  momentary  passion  that  has  produced  it;  he  broods 
over  it;  it  leaves  a  deep  and  rankling  wound;  and  he  thus  makes 
himself  lastingly  unhappy,  by  hearing  what  he  who  said  it  has 
not  lodged  in  his  bosom  for  a  single  hour.  We  should,  besides, 
be  influenced  to  receive  this  admonition  by  the  consideration  sug- 
gested in  the  twenty-second  verse :— "  For  oftentimes  also  thine 
own  heart  knoweth  that  thou  thyself  likewise  hast  cursed  others." 
You  not  only  are  aware,  my  fellow-ehristians,  how  you  were  wont 
to  feel  and  to  speak,  when  you  were  destitute  of  the  grace  of  God ; 
but  you  are  conscious  to  yourselves  how  you  are  apt  to  be  affected 
still :  how  ready  you  are,  in  the  moment  of  irritation,  to  kindle 
with  resentful  emotion,  and  to  utter  the  wish  of  evil;  nay,  how 
much  you  are  Jn  danger  of  even  retaining  and  cherishing  the  spirit 
of  malediction.  Sensible  of  this,  you  will  "  beware  of  giving  heed 
unto  all  words  that  are  spoken."  Your  own  consciousness  will 
prevent  you  from  thinking  it  impossible  that  you  should  hear  any 
evil  of  yourselves;  and  it  will,  at  the  same  time,  teach  you,  to 
make  allowance  for  the  passions  and  the  hasty  speeches  of  other 
men. 

1.  From  this  passage,  I  may,  in  the  first  place,  address  to  my 
fellow-ehristians,  the  words  of  the  apostle  John: — "Marvel  not, 
my  brethren,  if  the  world  hate  you."  jSTo  strange  thing  happens 
to  you.  It  has  been  so,  as  the  apostle,  in  the  connection  of  the 
words  quoted,  reminds  his  brethren,  froM  the  very  beginning; 
from  the  time  when  God  said  to  tiic  serpent, — "I  will  put  enmity 
between  'thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed." 
"Cain  was  of  that  wicked  one,  and  slew  his  brother:  and  where- 
fore slevr  he  him?  Becauco  his  own  works  were  evil,  and  his 
brother's  righteous."  The  same  principle  of  enmity  against  God 
and  his  spintual  children  continued  to  operate  in  the  days  of 
Solomon;  who  saw  "the  just  man  perishing  in  his  righteousness, 
and  the  wicked  man  prolonging  his  life  in  his  wickedness."  And 
never  was  the  hostility  of  human  nature  to  God  and  goodness  ^ 
more  afPectingly  displayed^  than  at  the  fullness  of  time,  during  the  \) 
personal  ministry  of  the  Son  of  God ; .  when  the  Eternal  Word, 
made  flesh,  dwelt  amongst  men,  "full  of  grace  and  truth."  He 
Avas  hated  by  the  world,  because,  by  the  perfection  of  his  example. 


240  l.ECTtJRE  xiir. 

and  the  faithfulness  of  his  ministry,  he  "testified  of  it  that  its 
deeds  were  eviL"  And  most  emphatically  might  it  be  said  of 
him,  that  he  "perished  in  hit?  righteousness."  His  apostles  after 
him  experienced  the  same  effects  from  the  same  cause,  agreeably 
to  his  own  faithful  premonition : — "  If  the  world  hate  you,  ye  know 
that  it  hated  me  before  it  hated  you.  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the 
world  would  love  his  own :  but,  because  ye  are  not  of  the  world, 
but  I  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth 
you.  Remember  the  word  that  I  said  unto  you, — The  servant  is 
not  greater  than  his  liord.  If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they  will 
also  persecute  you.  If  they  have  kept  my  saying,  they  will  keep 
yours  also."  And  the  case  is  still  unaltered.  The  enmity  between 
the  seed  of  the  serpent  and  the  seed  of  the  woman  still  subsists. 
Various  circumstances  in  providence,  indeed,  prevent  it  (and  for 
this  we  have  cause  to  be  thankful,)  from  operating  in  the  way  of 
public  persecution  of  the  Christian  name.  But  still  it  exists,  and  still 
it  shows  itself  in  an  endless  variety  of  more  private  ways,  wherever 
the  decidedly  serious  and  spiritual  religion  of  the  gospel  is  exhibited. 
Unregenerated  human  nature  likes  not  God  and  holiness  one  w^hit 
better  now  than  it  has  ever  done.  The  pure  and  lowly  Saviour 
is  still,  and  often  even  in  the  midst  of  professed  and  nominal  at- 
tachment to  him,  "despised  and  rejected  of  men :"  and  the  tendency 
of  the  cordial  acceptance,  and  the  humble  and  spiritual  profession 
of  his  doctrine,  still  is,  to  separate  a  man  from  his  brethren;  to 
divide  households,  two  against  three,  and  three  against  two  ;  and, 
by  its  collision  with  the  corrupt  passions  of  the  heart  in  those  who 
continue  strangers  to  its  saving  power,  to  strike  out  the  sparks, 
and  kindle  the  fire,  of  persecution  and  strife.  Wheresoever,  and  to 
what  extent  soever,  the  spirit  of  hostility  displays  itself,  let  the 
sufferers  remember,  both  for  their  encouragement  and  their  ad- 
monition, the  words  of  their  Master  : — "  Blessed  are  they  who  are 
persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  Blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute 
you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my 
sake.  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad,  for  great  is  your  reward  in 
heaven."  O  remember,  my  brethren,  it  must  be  "for  righteous- 
ness' sake"  that  you  suffer, — it  must  be  "falsely"  that  you  are 
evil  spoken  of,  else  the  blessing  cannot  be  yours.  "But  if  ye  suf- 
fer for  righteousness'  sake,  happy  are  ye:  and  be  not  afraid  of  their 


ECCLESIASTE8   VII.    15-22.  241 

terror,  neither  be  troubled;  but  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your 
hearts:  and  be  ready  always  to  give  an  answer  to  every  one  that 
asketh  you  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you,  with  meekness  and 
fear."  Matt.  v.  10-12.    1.  Peter  iii.  14,  15. 

2.  Secondly;  Let  men  bewareof  wresting  and  abusing  the  Scrij)- 
tures,  to  their  own  delusion  and  ruin.  It  is  a  very  sure  evidence 
of  a  man's  not  being  decidedly  righteous  at  all,  when  he  is  particu- 
larly fond  of  the  caution  (misinterpreted  as  in  that  case  we  are 
certain  it  must  be,)  "  not  to  be  righteous  over  much :" — a  caution 
which  is  often  repeated,  with  a  sneer  of  malicious  satisfaction, 
by  men  in  whose  eyes  all  real,  heartfelt,  spiritual  religion;  all 
scriptural  godliness ;  is  held  as  enthusiasm  and  madness ; — that 
religion,  I  mean,  which  mourns  for  sin  in  deep  self-abasement ; 
which  loves  the  Saviour  supremely ;  which  is  addicted  to  reading 
the  Bible,  to  prayer,  and  communion  with  God  ;  M'hicli  counts  the 
Sabbath  a  delight;  which  shrinks,  with  a  delicate  tenderness  of 
conscience,  from  even  the  appearance  of  evil ;  which  ceases  to  have 
pleasure  in  the  empty  vanities,  the  time-and-soul-killing  follies, 
of  a  passing  world,  and  weeps  in  pity  for  those  who  have ;  which 
seeks  to  enjoy  God  in  all  things,  and  all  things  in  God. 

My  friends,  the  subject  is  serious — deeply  serious;  worthy  of 
being  in  earnest  about.  Either  you  must  belong  to  the  people  of 
God,  or  to  the  world :  and  the  time  is  coming  when  this  distinction 
shall  be  announced  with  awful  solemnity,  and  shall  be  fixed,  with 
its  consequences  on  either  side,  in  eternal  permanence. 

With  easy  lightness  of  heart,  and  scornful  rejection  of  serious 
counsel  from  those  who  feel  the  weight  of  religious  truth  and  the 
sacredness  of  religious  duty,  you  talk  of  "not  being  righteous  over 
much;"  and  you  thus  cloak^under  a*Bible  phrase  your  deplorable 
regardlessness  of  the  Bible's  most  important  discoveries  and  most 
imperative  obligations.  You  spurn  its  pure  and  elevated  sancti- 
ties away  from  |you,  and,  with  infatuated  thoughtlessness,  allege 
its  own  authority  for  doing  so.  But  you  do  not  read  your  Bible, 
else  you  never  would  talk  thus.  O  my  friends,  do  bethink  your- 
selves. A  sinful  creature  "righteous  over  much !" — a  sinner  too  good ! 
Can  you,  in  your  consciences,  believe,  that  the  word  of  God  seriously 
warns  you  against  the  danger  of  this?  If  not,  O  beware  of  per- 
verting a  Divine  counsel ; — beware  of  doing  with  the  word  of 
16 


242  J.ECTURE  XIII. 

the  Eternal  God  what  you  would  resent  as  an  insult  were  it  done 
with  your  own. 

"  There  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth,  that  doeth  good  and  siuncth 
not."  Tliere  is  not,  therefore,  a  just  man  upon  earth,  that  can 
stand  accepted  before  God  on  the  ground  of  his  own  righteous- 
ness. Such  is  the  character  of  that  Being  witli  Avhoin  we  have 
to  do,  and  such  the  requiremcjits  of  his  perfect  law,  that  nothing 
but  a  sinless  righteousness  can  procure  acceptance  at  his  bar. 
Such  a  righteousness  is  not  to  be  found  in  fallen  man.  And  the 
very  first,  and  a  most  distinctive  feature,  in  the  character  of  the 
renewed,  is  the  intire  renunciation  of  all  dependence  on  their  own 
doings,  and  a  simple-hearted  reliance  on  the  perfect  righteous- 
ness,— the  obedience,  atonement,  and  intercession, — of  the  Son  of 
God.  All  of  them  are  ready  to  say,  with  deep  prostration  of  soul 
before  God,  "If  thou,  Lord,  shouldst  mark  iniquities,  O  Lord, 
who  shall  stand?" — "Enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant; 
for  in  tliy  sight  shall  no  man  living  be  justified:" — "God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner!" 

Forget  not,  at  the  same  time,  that  personal  righteousness,  "  walk- 
ing in  newness  of  life,"  is  the  only  unequivocal  evidence  of  in- 
terest, by  faith,  in  the  righteousness  of  the  Redeemer.  Therefore, — 

3.  Thirdly ;  Let  Christians  implore,  with  earnestness  and  con- 
stancy, the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  at  once  to  deepen  their 
sense  of  sinfulness,  and  at  the  same  time  to  maintaia  in  full  vigor 
in  their  souls  the  "fear  of  God:"  that  by  this  wisdom  they  may 
be  brought  through  all  temptations;  may  "come  forth"  victori- 
ous from  all  opposition,  and  untainted  from  all  the  corrupting  in- 
fluence of  an  evil  world : — that  they  may  manifest  in  increasing 
holiness  the  increasing  power  of  this  sacred  principle : — that  they 
juay  not  be  "  led  away  by  the  error  of  the  wicked,  and  so  fall  from 
tlieir  own  steadfastness,  but  may  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  Let  it  be  their 
constant  desire  and  aim,  to  be  rl(/h(cou.s  more  and  more;  never 
thinking  that  they  have  already  attained,  or  that  they  are  already 
perfect.  Let  them  "follow  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord."  "  Of  this''  let  them  "  take  hold ;"— " from  this  let 
them  not  Avithdraw  their  hand." — "  Work  out  your  own  salvation 
with  fear  and  trembling;  for  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you,  botli 
to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." — "Gird  up  the  loins  of 


KCCLESIASTES  VII.  15-22.  24o 

your  iiiincls,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end  for  the  graee  tliat  shall 
be  brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  obe- 
dient children,  not  fashioning  yourselves  according  to  the  former 
lusts  in  your  ignorance;  but,  as  he  Avho  hath  called  you  is  holy, 
so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation :  because  it  is  written, 
Be  ye  holy,  for  I  am  holy.  And  if  ye  call  on  the  Father,  who, 
without  respect  of  persons,  judgeth  accordmg  to  every  man's  work, 
pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear:  forasmuch  as  ye 
know  that  ye  were  not  redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver 
and  gold,  from  your  vain  conversation  received  by  tradition  from 
your  fathers,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as  of  a  lamb 
without  blemish  and  without  spot:  Avho  verily  was  foreordained 
Ijefore  the  foundation  of  the  Avorld,  but  was  manifest  in  these  last 
times  for  you  ;  who  by  him  do  believe  in  God,  who  raised  him  up 
from  the  dead,  and  gave  him  glory,  that  your  faith  and  hope  might 
be  in  God."  1  Peter  i.  13-21. 

4.  Lastly ;  Let  a  sense  of  our  own  liableness  and  i)roucness  to 
err,  in  heart,  in  word,  and  in  conduct,  render  us  charitable,  can- 
did, and  gentle,  in  our  judgments  of  others.  The  principle  of  the 
admonition,  "  Take  no  heed  unto  all  words  that  are  spoken,  lest 
thou  hear  thy  servant  curse  thee ;  for  oftentimes  also  thine  own 
heart  knoweth,  that  thou  thyself  likewise  hast  cursed  others," 
may  be  thus,  with  propriety,  generalized: — We  ought  not  to  ex- 
pect too  much  from  others,  when  we  are  conscious  to  ourselves  of 
our  own  weakness  and  sinfulness :  and  we  should  especially  beware 
harshness,  and  of  severely  condemning  others  for  things  of  which  of 
we  ourselves  are  guilty.  "Thou  art  inexcusable,  O  man,  whoso- 
ever thou  art  that  judgest:  for  wherein  thou  judgest  another,  thou 
condemnest  thyself;  for  thou  that  judgest  doest  the  same  things." 
Horn.  ii.  1.  "Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judge*].  For  with  what 
judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged ;  and  with  what  measure  ye 
mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again.  And  why  beholdest  thou 
the  mote  that  is  in  thy  brother's  eye,  and  considerest  not  the  beam 
that  is  thine  own  eye?  Oor  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother. 
Let  me  pull  out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye ;  and  behold,  a  beam 
is  in  thine  own  eye.  Thou  hypocrite,  cast  out  first  the  beam  out 
of  thine  own  eye,  and  then  shalt  thoti  see  clearly  to  cast  out  the  mote 
out  of  thy  brother's  eye."  Matt.  vii.  1-5. 


LECTURE  XIV. 


ECCLESIASTES  YII.    23-29. 

"All  this  have  I  proved  by  wisdom:  I  said,  I  will  be  wise;  but  it  (was)  far 
from  me.  24.  That  which  is  far  oft',  and  exceeding  deep,  who  can  find 
it  out?  25.  I  applied  mine  heart  to  know,  and  to  search,  and  to  seek  out 
wisdom,  and  the  reason  (of  things,)  and  to  know  the  wickedness  of  folly, 
even  of  foolishness  (and)  madness:  26.  And  I  find  more  bitter  than  death 
the  woman,  whose  heart  (is)  snares  and  nets,  (and)  her  hands  (as)  bands: 
whoso  pleaseth  God  shall  escape  from  her;  but  the  sinner  shall  be  taken 
by  her.  27.  Behold,  this  have  I  found,  saith  the  Preacher,  (counting) 
one  by  one,  to  find  out  the  account:  28.  Which  yet  my  soul  seeketh,  but 
I  find  not ;  one  man  among  a  thousand  have  I  found ;  but  a  woman  among 
all  those  have  I  not  found.  29.  Lo,  this  only  have  I  found,  that  God  hath 
made  man  upright ;  but  they  have  sought  out  many  inventions. 

Verses  23,  24.  All  this  have  I  proved  by  wisdom:  I  said,  I  wiU 
be  wise  ;  but  it  ivas  far  from  me.  That  which  is  far  off,  and  exceeding 
deep,  who  can  find  it  out? 

The  wisdom  which  God  imparted  to  Solomon  did  not  consist 
in  the  supernatural  infusion  of  knowledge  on  all  subjects  into 
his  mind ;  but  rather  in  an  understanding  rendered  by  "  the  Father 
of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh"  unusually  acute  and  comprehensive,  capa- 
ble of  quick  discernment,  clear  and  accurate  conception,  enlarged 
views,  and  thus  of  extensive  and  multifarious  acquisitions.  And 
it  was  in  the  diligent  exercise  of  his  mental  faculties,  thus  strength- 
ened, elevated,  and  amplified,  that  he  gained  that  extent  and  variety 
of  knowledge  and  wisdom,  for  which  he  was  so  highly  and  justly 
celebrated. 

The  serious  and  important  lessons  contained  in  this  book,  are  the 
result  of  the  wisdom  given  him,  when  rightly  exercised,  under  the 
influence  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  the  suj)erintending  direction  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  by  whom  he  was  prompted  to  record  his  experience. 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  23-29.  245 

"All  this/'  says,  he,  in  the  first  of  the  verses  I  have  now  read, — 
"All  this  have  I  proved  by  wisdom:" — I  have  tried  all  these  di- 
versified sources  of  happiness,  and  have  proved  the  result  to  be 
such  as  I  have  stated : — I  have  proved  the  lessons  I  now  deliver 
to  be  founded  in  truth;  to  be  "good  and  profitable  unto  men." 
Xot  that  it  was  a  wise  course  by  which  he  collected  his  experience : 
but  he  had  now,  through  Divine  mercy,  been  led  to  apply  to  that 
experience  the  wisdom  given  him ;  and  to  teach  to  others  the  les- 
sons he  had  taught  to  himself. 

Even  to  the  course,  indeed,  which  procured  him  his  experience, 
he  had  been  incited  by  the  misdirected  desire  of  wisdom,  or  knowl- 
edge. This  was  his  ruling  passion ;  a  principle,  good  in  itself,  but 
in  its  application  susce^jtible  of  the  most  grievous  perversion: — 
"I  said,  I  will  be  wise."  On  this  object  he  set  his  heart,  and  he 
pursued  it  with  uuabating  ardor  in  every  direction, — in  all  descrip- 
tions of  experiment  and  research. — "  But,"  he  adds,  it  was  far  from 
me." 

1.  The  measure  of  Avisdom  which  he  was  desirous  to  attain,  in 
his  difierent  pursuits,  was  far  from  him.  He  still  found,  after  all 
his  investigation,  that  he  "  knevi^  but  in  part ;"  and  the  more  he 
came  to  know,  the  more  did  he  perceive  the  vast  extent  of  what 
yet  remained  undiscovered;  of  subjects  hid  in  darkness,  or  dimly 
seen  in  the  twilight  of  conjecture.  In  the  rich  mine  of  science, 
he  was  for  ever  .striking  on  some  new  vein ;  and,  in  the  very  ardor 
and  enthusiasm  of  discovery,  arriving  at  points,  beyond  which  no 
mortal  skill  or  power  w'as  able  to  penetrate.  Thus  even  Solomon, 
with  all  his  marvellous  faculties,  experienced  the  truth  of  Avhat 
the  poet  says  of  knowledge, — 

'"Tis  but  to  know — how  little  can  be  known." 

There  are  limits  to  the  powers  of  the  mightiest  minds.  There 
are  many  things  iu  the  nature  of  the  Divine  Being,  many  things 
in  his  works,  and  many  things  in  his  Avays,  that  are  "past  finding 
out;"  things,  of  Avliich  the  loftiest  and  most  capacious  under- 
standings must  be  content  to  say,  "  Such  knowledge  is  too  Avonder- 
ful  for  me;  it  is  high;  I  cannot  attain  unto  it:" — or,  as  Solomon 
adds,  in  the  folio Aving  verse,  "That  Avhich  is  far  off,  and  exceeding 
deep,  Avho  can  find  it  out?" 

2.  If  Ave  consider  him  as  speaking  of  the  exercise  of  his  under- 


24()  T.ECTURE    XIV. 

standing-  during  "tlio  days  of  his  vanity/'  Avhich  is  probal>ly  tlu- 
case,  how  affecting  is  the  representation  of  his  pursuits! — "I  said 
I  will  be  wise:" — and,  to  fulfill  his  resolution,  he  set  himself  to 
the  study  of  all  the  branches  of  human  knowledge.  But  all  the 
while,  wisdom,  true  wisdom,  "was  far  from  him."  Having  de- 
parted from  the  "fear  of  God,"  true  wisdom  \vas  nowhere  else  to  be 
found :  a  search  through  the  universe  could  not  have  discovered 
it.  All  would  still  have  been  unsatisfying,  all  folly,  without  this ; 
wisdom  and  true  happiness  alike  far  from  him.  "Where  shall 
wisdom  be  found?  and  where  is  the  place  of  understanding?  Man 
knoweth  not  the  price  thereof;  neither  is  it  found  in  the  land  of 
tlie  living.  The  deep  saith,  It  is  not  in  me,  and  the  sea  saith.  It 
is  not  with  me;  It  cannot  be  gotten  for  gold,  neither  shall  silver 
be  weighed  for  the  price  thereof.  It  cannot  be  valued  with  the 
gold  of  Ophir,  with  the  precious  onyx  or  the  sapphire.  The  gold 
and  the  crystal  cannot  equal  it;  and  the  exchange  of  it  shall  not 
be  for  jewels  of  fine  gold.  JN^o  mention  shall  be  made  of  coral  oi- 
of  pearls;  for  the  price  of  wisdom  is  above  rubies.  The  topaz  of 
Ethiopia  shall  not  equal  it,  neither  shall  it  be  valued  with  pure 
gold.  Whence,  then,  cometh  wisdom?  and  where  is  the  place  of 
understanding?  Destruction  and  Death  say.  We  have  heard  the 
fame  thereof  with  our  ears.  GOD  understandeth  the  way  thereof: 
and  He  knoweth  the  place  thereof.  For  he  looketh  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  and  seeth  under  the  whole  heaven:  to  make  the 
weight  for  the  Avinds;  and  he  weigheth  the  waters  by  measure. 
When  he  made  a  decree  for  the  rain,  and  a  way  for  the  lightning 
of  the  thunder;  then  did  he  see  it  and  declare  it;  he  prepared  it, 
jGa,  and  searched  it  out.     And  unto  man  he  said.  Behold,  thi: 

FEAR    OF  THE    LoRD,  THAT    IS  WISDOM ;    AND  TO    DEPART    FROM 

EVIL  IS  UNDERSTANDING."  Job.  xxviii.  12-28. — Having  forgot- 
ten the  concluding  declaration  of  this  beautiful  and  sublime  pass- 
age, vSolomon  necessarily  missed,  in  every  other  quarter  in  whicli 
he  sought  it,  the  precious  object  of  his  desire. 

Verse  25.  I  applied  mine  heart  to  hioir,  and  to  search,  and  to 
seeh  out  wisdom,  and  the  reason  of  things,  and  to  know  the  vnckednes^ 
of  folly,  even  of  foolishness  and  madness. 

The  words  in  the  beginning  of  the  twenty-fifth  verse  express 
the  indefatigable  ardor  with  which  his  end  was  pursued: — "I  a}>- 
plied  my  heart,  to  know,  and  to  search,  and  to  seek  out  wisdom. 


ECCLESiASTEs  vir.  23-20.  247 

and  the  reason  of  things."  Tlie  various  terms  employed,  between 
which  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  attempt  fixing  the  precise  shades 
of  difference,  are  evidently  accumulated,  to  convey  strongly  to  the 
mind  the  impression  of  eager,  intense,  and  unwearied  assiduity  of 
application  ;  persevering  in  spite  of  all  difficulties  and  discourage- 
ments. 

He  sought  to  know  "wisdom,  and  the  reason  of  things."  He 
was  not  satisfied  with  the  knowledge  of  mere  facts.  He  investi- 
gated principles.  He  tried  to  discover  causes ;  both  in  nature  and 
in  providence;  and  in  the  moral  and  physical  departments  of  each. 
And,  in  liis  study  of  mankind,  he  examined  the  reasons  of  their 
state,  their  conduct,  and  their  prospects :  and  explored  the  various 
sources  of  their  haj^piness  and  their  misery. 

One  of  the  subjects  of  his  attention  and  inquiry  was,  "the 
wickedness  of  folly,  even  of  foolishness  and  madness ;"  that  is,  the 
foolishness  and  madness  of  men,  who  live  "without  God  in  the 
world;"  who  "  walk  in  the  sight  of  their  eyes,  and  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  their  heart."  In  one  view,  this  was  a  very  proper  and  a 
highly  profitable  subject  of  investigation.  We  can  hardly  be  better 
employed  than  in  considering,  and  seriously  weighing,  the  "ex- 
ceeding sinfulness"  of  sin;  and  the  more  closely  we  examine  it,  in 
the  various  lights  in  which  it  ought  to  be  contemplated, — as  com- 
mitted against  the  Sovereign  of  the  universe,  infinitely  holy  and 
infinitely  good,,  and  as  tending  to  bring  dishonor  upon  his  blessed 
name,  to  unsettle  the  foundations  of  his  eternal  throne,  and  to 
spread  confusion,  misery,  and  ruin  through  all  his  dominions;  we 
shall  find  it  to  be  unsearchable, — "exceeding  deep,  so  that  none 
can  find  it  out."  This  is  the  case,  as  to  the  intrinsic  evil  and  de- 
merit of  sin.  Its  malignity  cannot  be  estimated  by  a  fallen  crea- 
ture, whose  judgment  is  perverted  by  its  sadly  prevailing  power. 
Although  not,  in  the  strict  acceptation  of  terms,  an  infinite  evil, 
(for,  since  in  infinitude  there  are  no  degrees,  this  would  equalize 
the  guilt  of  all  transgression,)  yet,  as  committed  against  an  infi- 
nite Being,  not  even  a  holy  creature  (because  necessarily  finite, 
though  free  from  the  bias  of  corruption,)  can  form  any  adequate 
conception  of  the  measure  of  its  guilt.  God  alone  thoroughly 
knows  it.  He  beholds  it  in  its  true  undisguised  nature;  in  all 
the  extent  of  its  inherent  deformity.  He  views  it  in  the  light  of 
his  own  spotless  purity  and  incomprehensible  majesty ;  and  in  all 


248  LECTURE  XIV. 

its  bearings  and  tendencies,  were  it  allowed  its  unrestrained  opera- 
tion, both  in  reference  to  his  own  glory  and  to  the  happiness  of 
creation.  The  estimate  which  he  has  formed  of  it  we  learn  from 
the  declarations  of  his  word ;  and  especially  from  the  sacrifice  re- 
quired for  its  expiation, — from  the  deeply  mysterious  and  awful 
scenes  of  Gethsemane  and  Calvary.  And  as  the  intrinsic  evil  of 
sin  is  beyond  our  comprehension,  so  is  the  depth  of  human  de- 
pravity; the  '^ fulness  of  evil"  that  is  in  the  heart  of  man.  "The 
heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked ;  who 
can  know  it?  T  the  Lord  search  the  heart;  I  try  the  reins;  even 
to  give  every  man  according  to  his  ways,  and  according  to  the 
fruit  of  his  doings."  Jer.  xvii.  9,  10.  Thus  God 

" hides  from  every  being  but  himself 


That  hideous  sight, — a  naked  human  heart." 

Good  had  it  been  for  the  king  of  Israel,  had  he  contemplated 
"the  wickedness  of  folly,  even  of  foolishness  and  madness,"  to 
deepen  his  humility ;  to  aggravate  his  horror  of  sin ;  to  soften  his 
pity  for  the  wretched  subjects  of  this  moral  mania;  and  to  render 
him  more  closely  vigilant  and  jealous  of  himself,  from  a  conscious- 
ness of  the  enormous  sum  of  hidden  evil  in  his  own  heart!  There 
are  some  things,  which  it  is  much  better  for  us  not  to  know  at  all, 
than  to  learn  by  experience.  But  Solomon,  instead  of  satisfying 
himself  with  examining  "the  wickedness  of  folly"  by  his  obser- 
vation of  others;  by  their  recorded  warnings  and  dying  regrets; 
by  inward  reflection ;  by  the  contemplation  of  God ;  by  medita- 
tion on  the  testimony  of  his  word;  must  needs  subject  it  to  per- 
sonal experiment:  he  must  try  "foolishness  and  madness"  as  a 
source  of  enjoyment:  he  must  join  the  company  of  fools;  partake 
of  their  follies ;  and  know  for  himself.  Infatuated  prince!  He 
reaped  the  fruit  of  his  doings.  Good  things  abused  are  proverbi- 
ally the  worst.  The  wisdom  bestowed  on  Solomon,  rightly  em- 
ployed, was  his  own  happiness  and  honor,  and  the  blessing  of  his 
people  and  of  mankind.  But,  perverted  and  jirostituted,  it  led 
him  fearfully  astray.  It  brought  him  within  the  eddies  'of  a 
perilous  whirlpool,  and  exposed  him  to  the  hazard  of  eternal  de- 
struction. His  soul,  indeed,  was,  through  sovereign  mercy,  re- 
stored. But,  oh!  the  bitterness  and  "vexation  of  spirit"  whicli 
his  sinful  presumption  cost  him ! 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  23-29,  249 

The  bitterest,  yet  the  most  dangerous  and  intoxicating  ingre- 
dient in  the  cup  of  folly — bitter  in  the  end,  though  sweet  in  the 
enjoyment — Solomon  mentions  in  the  twenty-sixth  verse,  in  terms 
that  indicate  how  his  heart  recoiled  from  the  recollection : — 

Verse  26.  And  I  find  more  bitter  than  death,  the  woman  whose 
heart  is  snares  and  nets,  and  her  hands  as  bands:  whoso  lileaseth  God 
shall  escape  from  her ;  but  the  sinner  shall  be  taken  by  her:" 

In  the  preceding  verse,  he  speaks  of  his  having  "applied  his 
heart,  to  know  the  wickedness  of  folly."  The  particular  sin  to 
which  he  refers  in  the  twenty-sixth  verse,  is  frequently  in  the 
Scriptures  termed  folly,  and  those  who  committed  it,  especially 
under  certain  circumstances,  were  said  to  have  "wrought  folly  in 
Israel." — "I  find  more  bitter  than  death," — that  is,  in  the  issue; 
in  the  worse  than  deadly  tendency  of  her  tempting  blandishments, — 
worse  than  deadly,  because  endangering  not  the  body  merely,  but 
the  immortal  soul;  not  the  interests  of  time  merely,  but  of  eter- 
nity ;  leaving  nothing  behind  them  but  the  bitterness  of  remorse, 
and  the  "fearful  looking  for  of  judgment:" — "I  find  more  bitter 
than  death,  the  woman  whose  heart  is  snares  and  nets,  and  her 
hands  as  bands."  This  is  the  "strange  woman,"  whom  he  so  often 
mentions  in  the  book  of  Proverbs ;  depicting  her  character ;  de- 
scribing her  ways ;  and  warning  against  the  perils  of  her  company. 
How  strong  the  expression, — "whose  heart  is  snares  and  nets!" — 
signifying  the  multitude  of  her  devices  of  temptation;  and  the 
consummate  skill,  the  secrecy,  the  address,  the  guile,  ^vith  which 
she  uses  them,  for  the  accomplishment  of  her  purposes.  Her  very 
"heart  is  snares  and  nets,"  in  whose  intricate  and  entangling 
meshes  the  fascinated  and  deluded  soul  is  taken  captive  to  its  de- 
struction.— "And  her  hands  as  bands."  Her  powers  of  detention 
are  equal  to  her  powers  of  allurement.  Her  heart  is  a  net,  to  en- 
snare the  unwary ;  her  hands  are  as  bands,  to  hold  him  fast  when 
her  wiles  have  proved  successful.  So  irresistible  is  the  power,, 
operating  like  the  spell  of  enchantment,  by  which  she  retains  un- 
der her  influence  the  hapless  victim  of  her  charms.  Delicate  as 
the  subject  is,  faithfulness  demands  that  we  speak  plainly;  es- 
pecially for  the  warning  of  thoughtless  youth.  There  is  no  sin 
more  sadly  prevalent;  none  that  has  enticed  more  to  their  ruin; 
than  this.  "  Whoredom,  and  wine,  and  new  wine,  take  away  the 
heart."     It  was  this  sin,  that  robbed  Reuben  of  his  birtliright. 


250  l.ECVl-ilE    XIY. 

and  wrung'  his  father's  lieart  M'ith  shame  and  anguish : — it  is  a  foul 
blot  in  the  life  Judah: — it  unsheathed  the  sword  of  perfidy  and 
vengeance  against  the  guiltless  Shechemites  : — it  spoiled  Samson 
of  his  eyes,  his  strength,  his  liberty,  his  life;  and  endangered  the 
freedom  of  his  country: — it  cost  DaA'id  many  a  l)ang  of  penitential 
agony;  many  a  secret  groan;  many  a  bitter  tear: — and  it  had 
well  nigh  proved  the  ruin  of  his  son  and  successor  in  the  throne ; 
whose  "soul  escaped,  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowler;" 
narrowly  escaped,  and  with  serious  damage.  A  hard  and  narroA\ 
escape,  indeed,  in  every  case  It  is.  It  is  a  sin  that  has  slain,  and, 
alas !  continues  to  slay,  its  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands. 

"  Whoso  pleaseth  God  shall  escape  from  her ;  but  the  sinner 
shall  be  taken  by  her." — "  Whoso  p^mse^A  God,"  is,  in  the  origi- 
nal language,  the  same  phrase  as  "  the  man  that  is  (/ood  before  God," 
in  the  twenty-sixth  verse  of  the  second  chapter.  The  expressions 
used  here  strongly  intimate,  that,  from  the  greatness,  the  immi- 
nent greatness  of  the  danger,  final  escape  is  to  be  considered  as  ;i 
remarkable  interposition  of  heaven ;  a  signal  instance  of  peculiar 
JDivine  regard.  The  man  that  is  "good  before  God,"  may,  alas! 
as  mournful  experience  has  too  often  shown,  fall  before  this  tempta- 
tion. And  if,  after  falling,  and  yielding  himself  for  a  time  to 
guilty  indulgence,  he  is  recovered  to  repentance  and  purity,  he 
may  be  looked  npon  as  rescued  from  extreme  peril, — as  "a  brand 
plucked  out  of  the  fire ;"  obtaining  a  deliverance  which  nothing  but 
the  grace  of  God  could  effect  for  him.  "  But  the  sinner," — the  ob- 
stinate sinner,  whose  character  is  thoroughly  vicious ;  who  has  no 
^'good  thing  in  him  towards  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;"  who  has 
run  on  in  his  course  of  sin  and  profligacy  till  he  has  been  "given 
•over  to  a  reprobate  mind,"  and  is  the  guilty  victim  of  Divine  dis- 
pleasure and  vengeance, — he  "shall  be  taken  by  her;" — yes, — and 
he  shall  be  held  by  her: — and  he  shall  be  ruined  by  her.  "Led 
captive  by  her  at  her  will,"  he  shall  find  at  last  that  "her  steps 
take  hold  on  hell ;"  that  her  syren  smiles  have  cursed  him  with 
the  frown  of  an  angry  God ;  that  her  soft  and  silken  cords  have 
only  drawn  him  down 

"To  adamantine  chains  and  penal  iire." 
*'  Hearken  unto  me  now,  therefore,  O  ye  children,  and  attend  to 
the  words  of  my  mouth.     Let  not  thy  heart  decline  to  her  ways; 
g'O  not  astray  in  her  paths.    For  she  hath  cast  down  many  wounded ; 
vea,  manv  strong  men  have  been  slain  bv  her.     Her  house  is  the 


ECCLESIASTE.S  XT  I.  23-29.  251 

■way  to  lioll,  i^oing  <lown  to  the  chambers  of  death.''  Prov.  vii.  24- 
27.  See  the  whole  chapter,  and  also  Prov.  v.  3-14.  xxii.  14. 

Solomon's  own  deliverance  was  wonderfid;  for  no  one  could 
go  further  astray,  or  give  himself  u])  more  completely  to  the  grati- 
fication of  irregular  desires,  than  he.  "  King  Solomon,"  says  the 
iHspired  historian  of  his  reign,  "loved  many  strange  women,  (to- 
gether with  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,)  wonieii  of  the  Moabites, 
Ammonites,  Edomites,  Zidonians,  and  Hittites;  of  the  nations 
concerning  which  the  Lord  said  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  Ye 
shall  not  go  in  unto  them,  neither  shall  they  come  in  unto  you: 
for  surely  they  will  turn  away  your  heart  after  their  gods.  Solo- 
mon clave  unto  these  in  love.  And  he  had  seven  hundred  wives, 
princesses,  and  three  hundred  concubines:  and  his  wives  turned 
away  his  heart."  1  Kings  xi.  1-3.  And  then  follows  a  ])articular 
account  of  the  lengths  to  which  he  went  in  complying  with  the 
'^'abominable  idolatries"  of  these  unworthy  objects  of  his  wander- 
ing and  wanton  affections.  "And  the  Lord  was  angry  M'itli  Solo- 
mon, because  his  heart  was  turned  away  from  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  who  had  appeared  unto  him  twice;  and  had  commanded 
him  concerning  this  thing,  that  he  should  not  go  after  other  gods : 
but  he  kept  not  that  which  the  Lord  commanded."  Ibid.  9,  10. 

To  these  melancholy  circumstances  in  the  life  of  this  prince 
i:here  is  an  obvious  allusion  in  the  following  verses: — 

Verses  27,  28.  Behold,  this  have  I  found,  saith  the  Preacher, 
'Cmmting  one  by  one  to  find  out  the  accoimt;  u^hich  yet  my  sold  seeketh, 
hid  I  find  not:  one  man  among  a  thousand  have  I  found ;  bvt  a  wo- 
man among  all  those  have  I  not  found. 

"Counting  one  by  one  to  find  out  the  account,"  is  by  some 
rendered,  "weighing  one  thing  after  another  to  find  out  the  rea- 
son." Our  own  translation,  however,  seems  preferable.  For  as 
to  the  reason  of  what  he  states,  we  can  hardly  imagine  that  the 
wisdom  of  the  wisest  of  men,  after  it  was  set  free  from  fascination 
and  allowed  to  judge  without  bias,  could  for  a  moment  ))e  at  a 
loss  to  discover,  or  hesitate  to  pronounce  upon  it.  What  he  means 
to  tell  us,  then,  is,  that  he  was  careful  and  minute  in  the  obser- 
vations from  which  he  drew  his  account.  He  considered  amongst 
his  courtiers,  and  amongst  his  wives  and  concubines,  to  find  out 
the  number  of  the  faithful;  the  truly  good;  the  virtuous;  the 
^godly.      And  tlie  judgment  whicli  he  formed  from  this  inspection 


252  LECTURE    XIV. 

Iiad  imdergoiie  no  change,  from  recollection,  at  the  time  he  was 
writing:  for  this  is  probably  the  meaning  of  the  words,  "which 
yet  my  soul  seeketh,  but  I  find  not." 

"  One  man  among  a  thousand  have  I  found ;  but  a  woman  among 
all  those  have  I  not  found." — "  One  man  among  a  thousand !"  a 
very  small  proportion,  alas !  and  presenting  a  sad  picture  of  the 
degenerate  state  of  Solomon's  court  at  the  period  referred  to.  He 
was  not  then  imitating  the  determination  of  his  pious  father: — •'  I 
will  walk  within  my  house  with  a  perfect  heart.  I  will  set  no 
wicked  thing  before  mine  eyes :  I  hate  the  work  of  them  that  turn 
aside;  it  shall  not  cleave  to  me.  A  fro  ward  heart  shall  depart 
from  me;  I  will  not  know  a  wicked  person.  Whoso  privily  slan- 
dereth  his  neighbor,  him  will  I  cut  off;  him  that  hath  a  high  look 
and  a  proud  heart  will  I  not  suffer.  Mine  eyes  shall  be  ujjon  the 
faithful  of  the  land,  that  they  may  dwell  with  me :  he  that  walketh 
in  a  perfect  way,  he  shall  serve  me.  He  that  worketh  deceit  shall 
not  dwell  within  my  house :  he  that  telleth  lies  shall  not  tarry  in 
my  sight."  Psalm  ci.  2-7. 

But  small  as  this  proportion  is,  it  is  greater  than  was  to  be 
found  amongst  the  icomen  of  the  royal  household: — "a  woman 
among  all  those  have  I  not  found."  Are  we  to  consider  this  as 
expressive  of  Solomon's  general  opinion,  that  the  number  of  good 
women  is  inferior  to  the  number  of  good  men?  Were  we  so  to 
interpret  his  words,  they  would  convey  a  judgment  contrary,  as  I 
am  satisfied,  to  truth ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  unwarranted  by  the 
particular  case  on  which  it  is  founded.  The  reason  of  Solomon's 
want  of  success  in  his  search  for  a  virtuous  woman,  it  is  not,  surely, 
difficult  to  discover.  He  sought  for  good  where,  from  the  nature 
of  the  thing,  nothing  but  evil  was  reasonably  to  be  expected. 
Who,  that  is  in  quest  of  virture,  and  purity,  and  general  excellence 
of  female  character,  M'ould  seek  it  in  the  crowded  seraglio  of  an 
eastern  prince? 

In  multiplying  to  liimself  wives  and  concubines,  Solomon  had 
gone  far  astray  from  the  original  law  of  marriage,  announced  "in 
the  beginning,"  when  God  made  "a  male  and  a  female,  and  said, 
For  this  cause  shall  a  man  leave  his  father  and  his  mother,  and 
shall  be  joined  unto  his  wife,  and  they  two  shall  be  one  flesh." 
He  had,  also,  doubly  violated  the  express  command  of  God,  who 
had  not  only  charged  the  Israelites  in  general,  that  tliey  shoul«J 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.   23-29.  253 

iiot'iuake  marriages  with  the  surrounding  nations,  because  they 
would  thus  be  turned  away  from  following  Jehovah,  to  serve  other 
gods;  Deut.  vii.  3,4:  but  had  also,  in  anticipating  their  future 
desire  of  a  king  over  them,  in  describing  their  character,  and 
specifying  his  duties,  most  explicitly  enjoined, — "Neither  shall 
he  multiply  wives  to  himself,  that  his  heart  turn  not  away."  Deut. 
xvii.  17.  In  the  transgression  of  these  prohibitory  precepts,  Solo- 
mon had  greatly  exceeded  any  of  his  predecessors  in  tlie  throne  of 
Israel. 

In  such  a  situation,  when,  instead  of  concentrating  his  affections 
on  one  wife,  as  the  partner  of  his  joys  and  sorrows,  and  seeking 
domestic  happiness  in  her  faithful  and  undivided  love,  he  gathered 
around  him,  for  magnificence  and  for  lawless  indulgence,  so  large 
a  multitude,  with  all  their  varieties  of  corporeal  and  mental  quali- 
ties, and  necessarily  placed  himself  in  the  very  midst  of  heartless 
blandishments,  of  envies  and  jealousies,  of  contending  interests  and 
selfish  quarrels,  how  could  he  ever  hope  for  happiness? — and,  in 
such  a  situation,  when  he  had  surrounded  himself  with  idolatrous 
heathens,  or  with  such  Hebrew  women  as  chose  to  be  their  volun- 
tary associates  in  ministering  to  his  voluptuousness,  how  could  he 
ever  look  for  virtue^  A  virtuous  woman  would  not  connect  her- 
self with  such  a  group ;  or  if,  by  the  prospect  of  magnificence  and 
plenty,  any  one  whose  principles  were  in  the  main  good,  had  been 
tempted  to  join  herself  to  his  court,  her  character  was  not  likely, 
in  such  company,  to  remain  long  free  from  the  general  corruption. 
Of  all  possible  ways,  he  certainly  adopted  the  least  promising,  for 
finding  a  virtuous  woman.  He  had  himself,  and  no  other,  to 
blame.  If,  indeed,  he  had  satirized  the  sex,  because  amongst  such 
a  thousand  he  had  not  discovered  one  woman  of  sound  principle, 
he  satirized  it  on  most  unjust,  unwise,  and  unmanly  grounds. 

But  I  am  far  from  thinking  that  he  here  speaks  the  language 
of  a  disappointed  and  waspish  satirist.  He  rather  utters  the  feel- 
ings of  an  abased  and  self-dissatisfied  penitent ;  of  one  who  had  felt 
it  to  be  "  an  evil  thing  and  a  bitter,"  to  depart,  as  he  had  done,  from 
God;  who  "remembered  the  wormwood  and  the  gall;"  who  per- 
ceived and  lamented  the  folly  and  the  wickedness  of  all  those 
"inventions,"  by  which  himself  and  others  had  sought  to  find 
happiness  apart  from  the  favor  and  the  ways  of  God.  He  justifies 
God,  and  condemns  himself: — 


254  LECTURE  XIV. 

Verse  29.  Lo!  this  only  haue  I  fouiul,  that  God  made  mare* up- 
right; but  they  have  sought  out  nmny  inventions. 

Here  is  **  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter :" — ''  Of  the  things 
which  he  had  spoken  this  is  the  sum." — "God  made  man  upright." 
When  the  progenitors  of  our  race  came  from  the  forming  hand  ol' 
their  Creator,  tliey  were  the  subjects  of  perfect  intellectual  and 
moral  rectitude.  There  was  no  distortion  in  the  understanding ; 
no  obliquity  in  the  will;  no  corruption  in  the  affections.  There 
was  perfect  truth  in  the  mind;  perfect  purity  in  the  heart;  and 
perfect  practical  holiness  in  the  life.  They  were  made  "in  the 
image,  and  after  the  likeness"  of  God  himself;  which,  according 
to  the  apostle,  consisted  especially  in  "righteousness  and  true  holi- 
ness," connected  with,  and  arising  out  of,  "knowledge."  Other- 
wise than  thus  man  could  not  be  made,  by  a  pure,  and  holy,  and 
benevolent  Being.  To  suppose  the  contrary,  is  to  make  God,  in 
the  strictest  sense, — in  a  sense  of  which  it  is  impious  to  admit  the 
imagination, — the  Author  of  sin.  The  subject,  indeed,  is  enveloped 
in  difficulties,  of  which  that  man  has  not  properly  thought  who 
does  not  feel  their  magnitude.  Into  the  discussion  of  these,  it 
were  unreasonable  to  enter.  I  can  only  remark  in  general,  that 
the  matter  of  fact,  of  the  actual  existence  of  moral  evil,  is  too 
notorious  to  admit  of  a  moment's  question : — that  the  Bible  account 
of  its  origin  did  not  cause  it;  it  existed  independently  of  the 
revelation  which  informs  us  how  it  began;  and  the  rejection  of 
that  revelation  neither  removes  nor  mitigates  it,  nor  disencumbers 
it,  in  the  slightest  degree,  of  its  embarrassing  difficuties; — that, 
on  the  contrary,  revelation  alone,  whilst  it  assumes  and  proceeds 
upon  the  mournful  fact,  provides  a  remedy;  all  other  systems, 
finding  human  nature  in  ruins,  leave  it  as  they  find  it.  Revelation 
rears  out  of  the  ruins  a  magnificent  and  holy  Temple  to  the  God 
of  purity  and  love.  That  evil  exists,  then,  is  an  indisputable 
fact: — that  God  could  not  be  its  Author,  is  a  proposition,  which, 
to  all  who  entertain  right  notions  of  his  character,  will  be  equally 
indisputable : — "  God  made  man  upright."  Of  all  that  followed, 
although  happening  "according  to  His  determinate  counsel  and 
foreknowledge,"  the  guilt  and  responsibility  must  necessarily  lie 
with  man  himself.  This  is  the  statement  here ;  and  it  is  a  state- 
ment to  the  truth  of  which  we  must  assent,  in  despite  of  any  puz- 
zling questions  to  whicli  the  subject  has  given  rise: — "God  made 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  23-29.  255 

inun  upright :  but  they  " — that  is,  men — "  have  sought  out  many 
inveutions." 

The  uprightness  in  Avhich  man  was  created  was  the  great  source 
(ifliis  oi'iginal  happiness.  He  was  perfectly  happy,  because  he  was 
])crfectly  free  from  that  whicli  is  the  cause  of  all  misery, — of  all  ex- 
ternal and  internal  suffering,  llesembling  his  Creator  in  holiness, 
he  resembled  him  in  felicity.  But,  alas !  through  the  influence  of 
temptation  man  became  dissatisfied  with  the  situation  in  which  his 
all-bountiful  Lord  had  placed  him,  and  with  the  measure  of  know- 
ledge and  enjoyment  (abundant  as  it  was)  with  which  he  had 
graciously  blessed  him : — and  the  origin  and  the  pattern  of  all  the 
subsequent  "inventions,"  by  whicli  men  have  endeavored  to  find 
happiness  was,  an  attempt  to  obtain  an  augmentation  of  it  from  what 
Jehovah  had  interdicted.  "The serpent  said  unto  the  Avoman,  Yea, 
liath  God  said,  Ye  shall  iiot  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden  ?  And 
the  woman  said  uuto  the  serpent,  We  may  eat  of  the  fruit  of  the  trees 
of  the  garden:  but  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  garden,  God  hath  said.  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye 
touch  it,  lest  ye  die.  And  the  serpent  said  unto  the  woman.  Ye 
shall  not  surely  die :  for  God  doth  know,  that,  in  the  day  ye  eat  there- 
<  >f,  then  your  eyes  shall  be  opened,  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing 
good  and  evil.  ^Vnd  when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree  was  good 
for  food,  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the  eyes,  and  a  tree  to  be  de- 
sired to  make  one  Avise,  she  took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat, 
and  gave  also  unto  her  husband  with  her,  and  he  did  eat."  Gen. 
iii.  1-6.  Such  were  the  first  of  human  "inventions"  for  the  at- 
tainment of  a  fancied  happiness.  We  know  too  well  the  result. 
It  "brought  death  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe."  The  flat- 
tering promise  of  the  tempter,  who  "is  a  liar,  and  the  father  of 
lies,"  proved  a  cursed  and  cursing  delusion;  aggravating  his  own 
•  'ondemnatiou,  and  gratifying  his  malignity  in  damning  others. 
Many  have  been  the  "inventions"  since.  But  they  have  all  par- 
taken of  the  falsehood  and  deceitfulness,  the  folly  and  impiety,  of 
the  first.  They  have  been  "of  the  earth,  earthy," — "from  be- 
neath, and  not  from  above."  They  have  left  GOD  out  of  the 
account;  and  how  could  they  prove  otherwise  than  illusory? — 
wretched  proofs  of  the  senselessness  and  depravity  of  the  inven- 
tors?— "wells  without  water,"  from  which  all  Avho  travel  to  them 
"return  with  their  vessels  empty;  ashamed  and  confounded,  and 
covering  their  heads?" 


■256  LECTURE  XIV. 

Solomon  includes  himself;  and  himself  chiefly,  in  the  sentence 
of  condemnation.  He  had  tried  many  of  these  inventions.  He 
had  followed  the  crooked  ways  of  human  folly  and  corruption,  in 
his  search  after  the  supreme  good,  during  "the  days  of  his  vanity :" 
and  Iiaving  felt  in  himself,  and  having  witnessed  in  others,  the 
depth  of  innate  dejiravity,  he  "justifies  the  M^ays  of  God  to  men," 
and  traces  all  the  unhappiness  of  this  apostate  w^orld  to  its  true 
source.  He  had  "fallen  by  his  iniquity;"  and  when  he  "returned 
unto  the  Lord  his  God,"  it  would  no  doubt  be  in  the  spirit  of  that 
language  which  was  afterwards  dictated  by  the  prophet  to  the  back- 
sliding and  revolting  Israelites : — "Take  away  all  iniquity,  and  re- 
ceive us  graciously ;  so  will  we  render  the  calves  of  our  lijjs :"  and 
the  Lord  "healed  his  backsliding,  and  loved  him  freely,  and  turned 
away  his  anger  from  him."  We  may  suppose  him  adopting  the 
expressions  of  his  father's  penitence,  and,  in  these  appropriate 
terms,  breathing  out  the  feelings  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart : — 
"  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  according  to  thy  loving-kindness ; 
according  unto  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  my 
transgressions.  Wash  me  thoroughly  from  mine  iniquity,  and 
cleanse  me  from  my  sin.  For  I  acknowledge  my  transgressions ; 
and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me.  Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I 
sinned,  and  done  this  evil  in  thy  sight;  that  thou  mightst  be  justi- 
fied when  thou  speakest,  and  be  clear  when  thou  judgest.  Behold, 
I  was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me. 
Behold,  thou  desirest  truth  in  the  inward  parts ;  and  in  the  hidden 
part  thou  shalt  make  me  to  know  wisdom.  Purge  me  with  hyssop, 
and  I  shall  be  clean ;  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow. 
Make  me  to  hear  joy  and  gladness;  that  the  bones  which  thou 
hast  broken  may  rejoice.  Hide  thy  face  from  my  sins,  and  blot 
out  all  mine  iniquities.  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart,  O  God ;  and 
renew  a  right  spirit  within  me.  Cast  me  not  away  from  thy 
presence ;  and  take  not  thy  Holy  Spirit  from  me.  llestore  unto 
me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation  ;  and  uphold  me  with  thy  free  Spirit. 
Then  will  I  teach  transgressors  thy  w^ays;  and  sinners  shall  be 
converted  unto  thee."  Psalm  li.  1-13. 

Solomon  fulfilled  the  resolution  expressed  in  the  last  of  these 
verses,  when,  after  his  recovery,  he  committed  his  experience  to 
writing,  penning  this  book,  under  the  direction  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  for  the  warning  and  instruction  of  mankind. 

From  this  passage,  observe; — 


ECCLESIASTES  VI T.  23-29.  257 

1.  In  the  first  jylaec ;  We  ought  not  to  be  greatly  surprised,  or 
to  be  easily  shaken  in  mind,  although  we  discover  many  things 
in  the  works  and  ways  of  God  that  are  above  our  comprehension. 

Is  it  at  all  marvellous  that  it  should  be  so  ?  The  works  and 
ways  of  God  are  the  works  and  ways  of  an  infinite  Being,  Would 
it  not  be  astonishing,  then,  were  it  otherwise?  There  is  hardly 
any  thing  in  nature  that  is  fully  understood  by  us.  We  know  a 
good  deal  of  effects;  but  of  causes,  wonderfully  little.  We  fre- 
quently, indeed,  impose  upon  ourselves,  by  using  language  that 
appears  to  indicate  our  acquaintance  with  causes ;  whereas,  when 
the  meaning  is  fairly  analyzed,  it  is  found  to  be  no  more  than 
another  way  of  expressing  the  effects.  We  say,  for  example,  that 
a  stone  falls  to  the  earth  by  gravitation;  and  that,  by  the  same 
cause,  the  earth  and  other  planets  are  attracted  towards  the  sun, 
and  kept  in  their  respective  orbits.  But  when  we  ask  the  ques- 
tion, What  is  gravitation  ?  we  are  at  a  loss  for  a  reply.  A  series 
of  questions  might  follow,  which  would  only  bring  us  back  to 
where  we  set  out.  The  principle,  or  power,  itself  to  which  we 
have  given  a  name,  remains,  as  much  as  before,  unknown  to  us. 
Prom  the  effect  we  infer  that  the  power  exists ;  but  what  the  power 
is,  we  cannot  tell ;  and  it  is  only  the  effect  that  we  can  properly 
be  said  to  knoAV :  respecting  its  secret  nature  we  are  profoundly 
in  the  dark. — So  are  we  with  regard  to  the  nature  of  substance; 
our  knowledge  of  bodies  being  confined  to  their  sensible  qualities. 
The  beautiful  process  of  vegetation ; — the  principle  of  animal  and 
vegetable  life; — the  conn(;ction  of  matter  and  spirit  in  our  own 
frame,  and  the  manner  in  which,  by  nervous  influence,  mind  im- 
parts activity  to  matter,  and  matter  conveys  sensations  and  per- 
ceptions to  mind; — and  ten  thousand  other  things,  with  which  we 
ixre  so  familiar  as  hardly  to  think  of  them ; — are,  when  examined, 
inexplicable  mysteries.  Are  we,  then,  entitled  to  expect  that  every 
thing  should  be  simple  and  easy  of  explanation  in  the  nature,  and 
in  the  moral  dispensations,  of  Deity?  The  expectation  would 
surely  be  unreasonable  in  the  extreme.  Well  may  we  say,  "That 
which  is  far  off,  and  exceeding  deep,  who  can  find  it  out?" — "Canst 
thou  by  searching  find  out  God?  canst  thou  find  out  the  Almighty 
unto  perfection?  It  is  high  as  heaven;  what  canst  thou  do? 
deeper  than  hell;  what  canst  thou  know?  The  measure  thereof 
is  longer  than  the  earth,  and  broader  than  the  sea."  Job  xi.  7-9. 
17 


258  L,ECTURE  XIV. 

0  be  humble !  Forget  not  that  God  alone  is  omniscient.  Solo- 
mon found  many  things  unfathomable.  In  all  likelihood,  the 
highest  archangel  in  heaven  finds  many  things  unfathomable.  Be- 
ware, then,  of  the  pride  of  reason.  Beware  of  that  sceptical  and 
unsound  philosophy  ("science,  falsely  so  called,")  which,  in  the 
plenitude  of  its  inconsistent  arrogance,  is  dissatisfied  with  every 
thing  which  it  cannot  fully  comprehend ; — which  pretends  to  re- 
ject the  Bible  for  its  mysteries,  whilst  it  cannot  lift  an  eye  amidst 
the  works  of  creation,  without  beholding  itself  surrounded  by 
mysteries  innumerable; — which,  renouncing  the  guidance  of  Di- 
vine revelation,  itself  only 

" leads  to  bewilder,  and  dazzles  to  blind." 

Let  us  rejoice,  my  brethren,  that  true  wisdom,  that  which  "makes 
wise  unto  salvation,"  is  revealed  in  the  Divine  word,  in  letters  of 
light.  Respecting  it,  no  man  needs  to  say,  "I  will  be  wise,"  and 
still  find  wisdom  "far  from  him." — "This  commandment  which 

1  command  thee  this  day,"  said  Moses  to  the  Israelites,  "it  is  not 
hidden  from  thee,  neither  is  it  far  oif.  It  is  not  in  heaven,  that 
thou  shouldst  say,  Who  shall  go  up  for  us  to  heaven,  and  bring 
it  unto  us,  that  we  may  hear  it,  and  do  it?  Neither  is  it  beyond 
the  sea,  that  thou  shouldst  say,  Who  shall  go  over  the  sea  for  us,. 
and  bring  it  to  us,  that  we  may  hear  it  and  do  it?  But  the  word 
is  very  nigh  unto  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart,  that 
thou  mayest  do  it."  Dent.  xxx.  11-14.  And  what  Moses  said  of 
the  law,  Paul  affirms  of  the  gospel:  "The  righteousness  which  is 
of  faith  speaketh  on  this  wise.  Say  not  in  thy  heart.  Who  shall 
ascend  into  heaven  ?  (that  is,  to  bring  Christ  down  from  above :) — 
or,  Who  shall  descend  into  the  deep?  (that  is,  to  bring  up  Christ 
again  from  the  dead.)  But  what  saith  it?  The  word  is  very  nigh 
thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thy  heart:  that  is,  the  word  of 
faith  which  we  preach ;  that  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth, 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shall  believe  in  thy  heart  that  God  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved.  For  with  the  heart  man 
believeth  unto  justification;  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is^ 
made  unto  salvation.  For  the  Scripture  saith,  Whosoever  be- 
lieveth on  him  shall  not  be  ashamed.  For  there  is  no  diiference 
between  the  Jew  and  the  Greek ;  for  the  same  Lord  over  all  is 
rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  him :  for  whosoever  shall  call  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  liora.  x.  6-13. 


ECCLESIASTES  VII.  23-29.  269 

2.  Secondly ;  Let  all  be  admonished,  and  especially  the  young, 
to  beware  of  "the  pleasures  of  sin"  which  are  but  "for  a  season." 

You  would  smile  at  me  in  scorn,  should  I  set  about  attempting 
to  convince  you  that  there  are  no  pleasures  in  sin.  Alas!  the 
whole  corruption  of  our  nature  teaches  us,  with  an  eloquence  too 
powerfully  persuasive,  an  opposite  lesson.  If  there  were  no  pleas- 
ures in  sin,  there  would  be  no  temptations  in  sin,  nor  any  need 
for  the  warnings  and  threatenings  by  which  we  are  so  strongly 
and  so  frequently  deterred  from  it  in  the  word  of  God.  There 
are  pleasures  in  sin.  But,  oh !  remember,  there  are  many  poisons 
that  are  sweet ;  sweet  to  the  palate,  but  quickly  convulsing  the 
frame  with  the  agonies  of  death.  Think  of  the  nature,  and  think 
of  the  end,  of  all  sinful  pleasures.  Tliink  of  their  nature.  Will 
you  venture  to  seek  your  happiness  in  opposition  to  your  Maker, — 
in  that  which  he  has  condemned,  and  which  his  soul  hateth?  If 
you  do,  then  think  of  the  certain  end  of  such  pleasures.  They 
are,  at  best,  but  a  palatable  poison.  There  is  death  in  them, — 
eternal  death.  At  the  last,  they  "bite  like  a  serpent,  and  sting 
like  an  adder."  Your  own  inward  corruption ;  Satan  the  prince 
of  this  world;  wicked  men,  and  wicked  women  too;  may  tempt 
you  to  sin.  But  O  forget  not,  that  every  temptation  to  sin  is  a 
temptation  to  ruin ;  to  the  perdition  of  soul  and  body  in  hell. 
Let  the  experience  of  Solomon  warn  you, — let  the  experience  of 
thousands  besides  warn  you, — not  to  tamper  with  temptation.  Once 
give  way, — and  you  cannot,  nor  can  any  man,  tell  how  far  you 
may  go.  The  first  step  is  a  step  of  tremendous  peril.  Tremble 
to  take  it.  It  is  a  step  to  hell.  "  Flee  from  the  wrath  to  come." — 
"Touch  not  the  unclean  thing." — "Enter  not  into  the  path  of  the 
wicked,  and  go  not  in  the  way  of  evil  men:  avoid  it;  pass  not  by 
it;  turn  from  it  and  pass  away." 

Ye  whom  God  has  graciously  rescued  from  the  broad  way  that 
leadeth  to  destruction,  and  turned  into  the  narrow  way  of  life  and 
salvation,  be  thankful  for  the  grace  that  has  "  made  you  to  differ." 
And,  whilst  with  gratitude  you  say,  "Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not 
unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name  give  praise,"  say  also,  in  the  spirit  of 
humble  dependence,  "Hold  up  my  goings  in  thy  paths,  that  my 
footsteps  slip  not." — "Lead  me  not  into  temptation." — "Lead  me 
in  thy  truth,  and  teach  me;  for  thou  art  the  God  of  my  salva- 
tion :  on  thee  do  I  wait  all  the  day." 


260  LECTURE  XIV. 

3.  Thirdly;  The  proneness  of  all  mankind  to  seek  happiness 
in  other  things  than  in  the  favor,  and  service,  and  image  of  God, 
clearly  shows  them  to  be  a  fallen  race. 

Many  have  been  the  disputes  of  men  about  the  chief  good. 
There  was  no  such  dispute  in  Paradise:  there  is  no  such  dispute 
in  heaven.  Man's  original  happiness  was  in  God : — the  happiness 
of  angels  is  in  God: — there  is  no  happiness  in  the  universe,  but 
in  God: — in  the  favor,  in  the  likeness,  in  the  service,  and  in  the 
enjoyment  of  God.  All  the  "inventions"  of  men  for  the  attain- 
ment of  happiness — and  "many"  they  have  been — long  experience 
have  proved  to  be  folly.  The  gospel  of  Christ  proposes  the  only 
means  of  effectually  gaining  it :  because  its  end  is  to  bring  men 
back  to  the  source  from  whicli  it  originally  sprung; — to  restore 
them  to  the  Divine  favor,  and  to  the  Divine  image.  Whatever 
accomplishes  this,  will  make  men  happy;  and  nothing  short  of 
this  possibly  can.  O  what  reason  for  humility,  in  contemplating 
the  vain  endeavors  of  men  to  effect  an  absolute  impossibility; — 
to  find  happiness  without  God !  And  what  reason  for  thanksgiving 
and  praise  for  an  open  way,  in  which  we  may  return  with  accept- 
ance to  our  offended  Sovereign,  and  enjoy  the  light  of  his  counte- 
nance! "I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life:  no  man  cometh 
to  the  Father  but  by  me."  Keep  in  this  way,  my  Christian 
brethren.  It  is  the  way  of  peace,  of  holiness,  of  life. — And  hear, 
ye  careless  ones,  the  w^aruing  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  "the  faithful 
witness."  It  is  the  voice  of  love  and  mercy: — "Strive  to  enter 
in  at  the  strait  gate :  for  many,  I  say  unto  you,  will  seek  to  enter 
in,  and  shall  not  be  able, — when  once  the  Master  of  the  house  is 
risen  up,  and  hath  shut  to  the  door;  and  ye  begin  to  stand  without, 
and  to  knock  at  the  door,  saying,  Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us:"  then 
will  I  profess  unto  you,  "I  tell  you,  I  know  you  not  whence  you 
are;  depart  from  me,  all  ye  workers  of  iniquity."  Luke  xiii.  24-27. 
"  He  that  is  wise  shall  be  wise  for  himself;  but  if  thou  scornest, 
thou  alone  shalt  bear  it." 


LECTURE  XV. 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.  1-8. 

"  Who  (is)  as  the  wise  (man)  ?  and  wlio  knoweth  the  interpretation  of  a  thing? 
a  man's  wisdom  maketh  his  face  to  shine,  and  the  boldness  of  his  face  shall 
be  changed.  2.  I  (counsel  thee)  to  keep  the  kings's  commandment,  and 
(that)  in  regard  of  the  oath  of  God.  3.  Be  not  hasty  to  go  out  of  his  sight: 
stand  not  in  an  evil  thing ;  for  he  doeth  whatsoever  pleaseth  him.  4.  Where 
the  word  of  a  king  (is,  there  is)  power:  and  Avho  may  say  unto  him.  What 
doest  thou?  o.  Whoso  keepeth  the  commandment  shall  feel  no  evil  thing: 
and  a  wise  man's  heart  discerneth  both  time  and  judgment.  G.  Becauseto 
every  purpose  there  is  time  and  judgment,  therefore  the  misery  of  man  (is) 
great  upon  him.  7.  For  he  knoweth  not  that  which  shall  be:  for  who  can 
tell  him  when  it  shall  be?  8.  (Tliere  is)  no  man  that  hath  power  over  the 
spirit  to  retain  the  spirit;  neither  (hath  he)  power  in  the  day  of  death:  and 
(there  is)  no  discharge  in  (that)  war;  neither  shall  wickedness  deliver  those 
that  are  given  to  it," 

Verse  1.  Who  is  as  the  tcise  manf  and  icn.o  knoiveth  the  interpre- 
tation of  a  thing  f  a  manh  wisdom  maketh  his  face  to  shine,  and  the 
boldness  of  his  face  shall  be  changed, 

Solomon  commences  this  chapter  with  a  repetition  of  the  praises 
of  wisdom,  which  lie  had  before  affirmed  to  excel  folly  as  far  as 
light  excelleth  darkness: — "Who  is  as  the  wise  man?"  A  sound 
understanding,  a  cultivated  mind,  and  discriminating  prudence, 
all  under  the  governing  influence  of  "the  fear  of  the  Lord;" — 
these  constitute  true  wisdom.  And,  when  viewed  in  this  light, 
surely  none  will  hesitate  to  admit,  tliat  "wisdom  is  the  principal 
thing."  Riches,  nobility,  power,  confer  no  eminence  comparable 
to  that  which  arises  from  superior  intelligence,  in  union  with 
superior  piety.  "Who  is  as  the  wise  man?" — who  can  be  com- 
pared to  him,  in  real  intrinsic  excellence,  or  in  the  benefits  which 
accrue  to  him  from  his  wisdom? 

"And  who  knoweth  the  interpretation  of  a  thing?" — that  is, 
who,  as  the  wise  man, — or  who  bid  the  wise  man,  knoAveth  it? 


262  LECTURE  XV. 

''The  interpretation  of  a  tiling,"  I  should  understand  as  compre- 
hending in  general  the  solution  of  dijiculties,  whether  in  nature,  in 
providence,  or  in  the  affairs  of  men.  This  is  the  province  of  the 
wise  man.  He  has  observed  the  appearances,  and  investigated 
the  secrets,  of  nature: — he  has  carefully  marked  the  procedure  of 
providence,  ascertaining  its  principles  and  noting  its  mysteries : — 
he  has  studied  human  nature  in  all  its  varieties  of  character;  hu- 
man life  in  all  its  diversities  of  condition;  and  society  in  all  its 
multiplicity  of  interests  and  connections.  He  understands  these 
things  himself,  and  he  is  consulted  respecting  them  by  others. 

"A  man's  wisdom  maketli  his  face  to  shine."  The  beauty 
of  the  "human  face  divine"  lies  in  its  expression.  The  light  of 
wisdom  within,  beams  in  the  countenance,  imparting  to  it  the  at- 
tractive aspect  of  intelligence  and  sensibility.  It  is  a  mild  and 
lovely  light.  It  does  not  dazzle  and  overpower  by  the  studied 
brilliance  of  self-display,  but  with  soft  and  gentle  radiance  in- 
spires delight,  and  wins  affection;  for  of  genuine  wisdom,  self- 
diffident  humility  is  the  invariable  associate.  "If  any  man  think 
that  he  knoweth  any  thing,  he  knoweth  nothing  yet  as  he  ought 
to  know."  Such  wisdom  gives  to  the  countenance  the  expression 
both  of  dignity  and  of  grace.  It  commands  reverence,  and  it  in- 
sures love.  It  conducts  at  once  to  honor  and  to  friendship,  to  re- 
spectful deference,  and  familiar  intimacy. 

The  humility  and  gentleness  which  accompany  and  characterize 
true  wisdom  are,  by  many,  understood  to  be  meant  in  the  last 
clause  of  the  verse; — "and  the  boldness  of  his  face  shall  be  changed." 
It  shall  be  "changed,"  say  they,  to  meekness  and  self-diffidence, 
the  opposite  of  that  forward  and  brazen  impudence  which  so  fre- 
quently distinguishes  ignorance  and  folly. 

Others  interpret  "  boldness  "  in  a  good  sense,  as  signifying  firm- 
ness and  decision,  fortitude  and  resolution,  of  character;  which 
render  a  man  undaunted  and  effective  in  supporting  the  cause  of 
truth  and  rectitude,  and  resisting  the  encroachments  of  vice  and 
folly ;  in  facing  opposition,  and  disregarding  obloquy.  Amongst 
such  a  people,  for  example,  as  those  whom  Ezekiel  had  to  en- 
counter, wisdom  would  set  the  face  as  a  flint,  and  enable  its  pos- 
sessor to  confront  them  with  a  self-possession  and  commanding 
confidence,  fitted  to  intimidate,  and  repress  their  hardened  ef- 
frontery.    "The  house  of  Israel  will  not  hearken  unto  thee;  for 


.i^ 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.   1-8.  263 

they  will  not  hearken  unto  me :  for  all  the  house  of  Israel  are  im- 
pudent and  hard-hearted.  Behold,  I  have  made  thy  face  strong 
against  their  faces,'^and  thy  forehead  strong  against  their  foreheads. 
As  an  adamant,  harder  than  flint,  have  I  made  thy  forehead :  fear 
them  not,  neither  be  dismayed  at  their  looks,  though  they  be  a 
rebellious  house."  Ezek.  iii.  7-9. 

It  will  at  once  occur  to  you,  that  if  this  sense  of  the  word  "bold- 
ness "  be  adopted,  some  corresponding  alteration  becomes  necessary 
on  the  word  "changed,"  By  the  interpreters  in  question,  the 
clause  is  accordingly  rendered,  "and  the  boldness  of  his  counte- 
nance shall  he  doubhdJ'  But  this  is  a  far-fetched  and  unusual 
^ense  of  the  original  M^ord;  if  indeed  it  will  bear  it  at  all. 

The  direct  and  proper  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  word  is  to  hate; 
and  the  Septuagint  translation  is  probably  the  just  one, — "but  he 
who  is  impudent  of  face  shall  be  hated."*  Instead  of  procuring, 
as  wisdom  docs,  respect  and  affection,  the  forward  impudence  and 
•shamelessness  of  the  fool  will  expose  him  to  dislike  and  aversion. 
Men  look  with  pleasure  on  the  countenance  that  is  lighted  up  \vith 
mild  intelligence,  but  turn  away  with  disgust  from  the  unblushing 
stare  of  petulance  and  self-sufficiency. 

To  the  advice  addressed  to  us  in  the  following  verses,  it  will  be 
our  interest,  as  it  is  our  duty,  carefully  to  attend.  It  is  a  part  of 
that  "meekness  of  wisdom,"  which  "makes  the  face  to  shine,"  and 
is  opposed  to  the  effrontery  that  is  the  object  of  such  universal 
dislike,  and  often^the  occasion  to  a  man  of  so  much  injury: — 

Verses  2,  3.  I  counsel  thee  to  keep  the  king's  commandment,  and 
that  in  regard  of  the  oath  of  God.  Be  not  hasty  to  go  out  of  his 
sight:  stand  not  in  an^evil  thing ;  for  he  doeth  whatsoever  j^lcaseth 
Mm. 

The  former  of  these  two  verses  is  by  some  rendered — "Keep 
the  commandment  of  the  king;  but  according  to  the  word  of  the 
oath  of  God:" — which  makes  the  last  clause  restrictive  of  the  first; 
limiting  and  qualifying  the  injunction  to  loyal  obedience: — as  if 
Solomon  had  said,  "Obey  the  king;  but  only  in  so  far  as  this 
•obedience  can  be  yielded  in  consistency  with  your  engagements  to 
God,  the  King  of  kings,  the  Supreme  Euler,  the  Lord  of  the  con- 

*  "  He  who  is  strong,  i.  e.  impudent  with  his  face  shall  be  hated." — Fark- 
.hursf. — "Wisdom  enliveneth  a  man's  countenance,  but  austerity  in  the  looks 
is  hateful." — Hodgson. 


264  LECTURE  XV. 

science,  whose  authority  is  first  and  highest."  That  such  a  limi- 
tation of  the  precept  is  necessary  to  be  understood,  admits  of  no 
question.  To  the  mightiest  of  earthly  monarchs,  when  his  com- 
mands are  not  in  harmony  with  those  of  heaven,  but  call  for  a 
violation  of  "conscience  towards  God,"  we  must  say,  with  all  re- 
spectful mildness,  yet  with  immoveable  determination,  "Whether 
it  be  right  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hearken  unto  you  more  than 
unto  God,  judge  ye." — "  We  must  obey  God  rather  than  men." 
Acts  iv.  19.    V.  29. 

In  this  view  of  the  words,  the  expression  "  the  oath  of  God  " 
might  possibly  mean  the  oath  so  frequently  taken  by  Jehovah 
himself  to  maintain  his  word  inviolate,  confirming,  "  by  two  im- 
mutable things  in  which  it  is  impossible  for  God  to  be,"  both  his 
promises  to  obedience  and  his  threatenings  against  transgression > 
"As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,"  gives  the  promise  all  its  power 
of  encouragement,  and  the  threatening  all  its  energy  of  dissuasion. 

The  more  simple  and  probable  meaning,  however,  is,  the  oath 
of  fidelity  and  allegiance  to  the  king  which  they  had  taken  in  the 
name  of  God, — in  his  presence,  and  under  appeal  to  Him  and  his 
awful  sanction.  You  have  sworn  obedience  and  fealty:  see  that 
ye  do  not  forswear  yourselves,  by  disobedience  and  rebellion. 

"  Be  not  hasty  to  go  out  of  his  sight:" — that  is,  either  to  leave 
his  presence,  or  to  throw  up  your  office  and  quit  his  service  with 
inconsiderate  rashness,  under  the  hurrying  influence  of  caprice  or 
passion;  whether  the  king  be  displeased  with  you,  or  you  with 
him.  Be  not  imprudently  hasty  and  precipitate.  "  If  the  spirit 
of  the  ruler  rise  up  against  thee,  leave  not  thy  place ;  for  yielding 
pacifieth  great  offences."  Quickness  and  irritability  of  temper 
are  culpable  towards  any  man ;  they  are  particularly  reprehensible 
towards  one  to  whom  we  owe  the  highest  official  respect. 

"  Stand  not,"  (that  is,  persist  not,)  "  in  an  evil  thing:" — If  you 
are  conscious  of  having  done  wrong,  be  prompt  to  confess  it,  and 
to  submit  thyself  to  the  royal  clemency.  Do  not  persist  in  high- 
spirited  self-vindication,  whilst  you  are  secretly  sensible  of  your 
error.  There  are  some  tempers  so  peculiar,  so  proudly  peculiar, 
that  they  will  much  rather  make  confession  to  an  equal,  and  still 
more  readily  to  an  inferior,  than  to  one  who  is  above  them.  But 
readiness  to  own  an  error  or  a  fault  is  our  duty  to  all.  It  is  a 
part  of  true  wisdom.     It  amounts  to  saying, — what  a  man  mu^t 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.  1-8.  255' 

be  very  self-sufficient  indeed  who  is  unwilling  to  say, — ''I  an> 
sensible  that  I  may  err;  and  in  seeing  my  error  to-day,  I  am  wiser- 
and  better  minded  than  I  was  yesterday." 

A  special  reason  is  assigned  for  the  admonition,  as  it  regards- 
our  conduct  to  rulers: — "  for  he  doeth  whatsoever  pleaseth  him." 
Whilst  your  first  and  most  sacred  regard  should  be  to  the  "  oath 
of  God,"  yet  your  own  interest  is  also  involved.  You  are  in  the- 
king's  power.  He  may  degrade  you  from  your  station,  deprive- 
you  of  your  emoluments,  and  inflict  upon  you  such  punishment 
as  shall  not  be  alleviated  by  the  consciousness  of  its  being  unde- 
served. The  headstrong  passion  that  persists  in  evil,  because  it 
cannot  brook  submission,  is  itself  inexcusable;  and  it  may  cost 
you  dear:  for, — 

Verse  4.  Where  the  word  of  a  king  is,  there  is  power ;  and  icho-- 
may  say  unto  him,  What  doest  thouf 

The  royal  authority  is  accompanied  with  power;  so  that  what 
it  wills  and  ordains  it  has  ability  to  carry  into  execution.  Per- 
verse resistance  and  obstinate  self-vindication  are,  therefore,  vaiiv 
and  hazardous.  It  is  your  interest,  as  well  as  your  duty,  to  con- 
fess and  to  submit. 

"For  who  may  say  unto  him,  What  doest  thou?"  There  are^ 
cases, — there  were  then,  and  there  are  still, — in  which  to  say  so- 
would  not  only  be  proper,  but  an  imcumbent  duty.  The  man 
who  has  been  called,  in  providence,  to  the  high  and  important 
station  of  a  counsellor  to  royalty,  is  under  the  most  sacred  obli- 
gations, both  to  his  master  and  to  his  country,  to  fulfill  his  trust 
Avith  in(;orruptible  integrity;  obligations  which  he  ought  to  feel^ 
even  apart  fi-om  "the  oath  of  God;"  though  he  should  not  for- 
get that  it,  also,  lies  upon  him.  If  the  king  discovers  an  inclina- 
tion to  adopt  and  ibllow  unjust,  oppressive,  or  otherwise  pernicious 
measures,  such  a  man,  as  he  must  answer  to  God,  should  feel  him- 
self bound,  with  all  becoming  resj^ect  indeed,  yet  with  unshaken 
firmness,  and  at  whatever  risk,  to  "say  to  him.  What  doest  thou?" 
and  to  endeavor,  by  all  possible  means  of  persuasion,  to  "  stay  his 
hand,"  A  counsellor  that  has  principle  to  do  this,  is  the  greatest 
blessing,  (alas!  that  the  blessing  should  in  all  ages  have  been  sO' 
rare!)  that  a  monarch  can  possess.  If  his  master  feels  not  the 
value  of  his  faithful  counsel,  and,  in  the  pride  and-  folly  of  hi&- 
heart,  will  take  his  own  way,  such  a  counsellor  will  be  venerated 


266  LECTURE  XY. 

in  his  abdication  or  his  downfall;  and  having,  like  Micaiah,  the 
son  of  Imlah — ("among  the  faithless,  faithful  only  he!") — ex- 
onerated his  conscience  by  wholesome,  though  unpalatable,  advice, 
he  will  enjoy,  also,  the  blessing  of  inward  peace,  even  if  the  con- 
sequences of  his  fidelity  should  to  himself  be  irons  and  a  dungeon, 
with  "  bread  of  aflSiction,  and  water  of  affliction." 

But  it  is  not  at  all  of  such  firmness  of  integrity  that  Solomon 
here  speaks.  It  is  of  the  man  who  "persists  in  an  evil  thing." 
It  is  from  this  that  he  dissuades,  as  implying  at  once  sin  and  folly : 
the  sin  of  adding  the  vindication  of  evil  to  the  doing  of  it;  and 
the  folly  of  provoking,  by  such  fool-hardiness,  a  power  so  far 
superior  to  his  own. 

The  best  way,  accordingly,  of  shunning  the  king's  displeasure, 
and  the  vengeance  of  the  law,  is  prescribed  in  the  fifth  verse; — 

Verse  5.  Whoso  keepeth  the  commandment  shall  Jed  no  evil  thing; 
-and  a  loise  man's  heart  discerneth  both  time  and  judgment. 

"The  commandment"  here,  may  mean  either  "the  king's  com- 
mandment," according  to  the  phrase  in  the  second  verse, — or 
rather,  perhaps,  the  commandment  of  God;  by  which  may  be 
understood  the  will  or  law  of  God  in  general.  By  the  precepts 
of  that  law,  indeed,  which  He  had  given  to  Israel,  it  was  the  duty 
both  of  the  king  and  jjeople,  respectively,  to  regulate  their  conduct : 
that  law  the  people  were  to  obey ;  that  law  the  king  was  to  enforce. 
■"The  king's  commandment,"  therefore,  might  be  considered  as 
the  law  of  the  land,  given  by  the  Divine  Legislator  himself:  and 
the  sentiment  expressed  is,  that  the  best  and  surest  way  to  the 
enjoyment  of  a  "quiet  and  peaceable  life,"  under  the  secure  protec- 
tion of  the  governing  powers,  was,  "to  live  in  all  godliness  and 
honesty."  He  who  thus  "kept  the  commandment"  should  "feel 
no  evil  thing." — "Who  is  he  that  will  harm  you,  if  ye  be  followers 
-of  that  which  is  good?"  The  sentiment,  directions,  and  language 
of  Solomon  in  this  passage,  bear  so  close  a  resemblance  to  those  of 
Paul,  when  he  writes  on  the  same  subject  to  the  Christians  at  Rome, 
that  we  may  quote  the  latter  as  a  New  Testament  commentary  on 
the  former; — "Let  every  soul  be  subject  unto  the  higher  powers; 
for  there  is  no  power  but  of  God :  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained 
of  God.  Whosoever,  therefore,  resisteth  the  power,  resisteth  the 
•ordinance  of  God ;  and  they  that  resist  shall  receive  to  themselves 
•condemnation.     For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  o^ood  Avorks,  but  to 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.  1-8.  267 

the  evil.  Wilt  thou,  then,  not  be  afraid  of  the  power?  Do  that 
which  is  good,  and  thou  shalt  have  praise  of  the  same:  for  he  is 
the  minister  of  God  to  thee  for  good.  But  if  thou  do  that  which 
is  evil,  be  afraid;  for  he  beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain;  for  he  is 
the  minister  of  God,  a  revenger  to  execute  wrath  upon  him  that 
doeth  evil.  Wherefore,  ye  must  needs  be  subject,  not  only  for 
wrath,  but  also  for  conscience'  sake.  For,  for  this  cause  pay  ye 
tribute  also :  for  they  are  God's  ministers,  attending  continually 
upon  this  very  thing.  Render,  therefore,  to  all  their  dues;  tribute 
to  whom  tribute  is  due;  custom  to  whom  custom;  fear  to  whom 
fear;  honor  to  whom  honor."  Rom.  xiii.  1-7. — It  is  evident  that 
these  apostolic  precepts  are  just  those  of  Solomon  in  a  more  ex- 
panded form.  The  same  "counsel"  is  given;  it  is  enforced  by 
the  same  considerations,  of  "wrath"  and  of  "conscience;"  and 
the  same  means  are  prescribed  for  shunning  the  severity  of  the 
ruling  power; — called  by  Solomon,  "keeping  the  commandment," 
by  Paul,  "doing  that  which  is  good." 

There  are  many  good  people  that  are  very  imprudent  people. 
Their  behavior  is,  in  the  main,  excellent;  but,  on  many  occasions, 
it  is  exceedingly  inappropriate.  There  is  an  intire  want  about 
them  of  that  discretion,  so  needful  in  the  intercourse  of  life,  which 
enables  its  possessor  to  suit  his  conduct  to  time  and  circumstances. 
Herein  consists  another  eminent  advantage  of  the  man  of  wisdom : 

"A  wise  man's  heart  discerneth  both  time  and  judgment."  The 
word  translated  "judgment "  is  one  of  very  extensive  and  general 
signification;  being  applicable  to  all  ordering,  regulation,  dispo- 
sition, arrangement,  of  events,  actions,  or  things.  It  might  here, 
perhaps,  be  correctly  enough  rendered  propriety ;  according  to 
which  every  thing  has  its  right  place  and  due  adjustment  with 
others,  in  the  conduct  of  life.  There  are  three  inquiries,  which 
the  man  of  true  wisdom  is  ever  proposing  to  himself: —  What 
should  I  do?  When  should  I  do  it?  How  should  it  be  done? 
He  pays  regard  not  only  to  the  matter  or  quality  of  his  actions,  but 
to  the  time  and  the  manner  of  them.  He  attends  to  circumstances, 
in  every  department  of  his  conduct;  whether  in  executing  his  own 
good  purposes,  or  in  repressing  and  frustrating  the  evil  designs  of 
others ;  in  imparting  counsel ;  in  administering  reproof;  in  seek- 
ing, either  for  himself  or  for  others,  the  redress  of  grievances ;  in 
promoting  needful  improvement  and  reform,  whether  in  private 


268  LECTURE    XV. 

or  in  public  affairs ;  and  in  all  the  every-day  transactions  and  in- 
tercourse of  life; — never  forgetting,  what  daily  experience  more 
and  more  confirms,  that  success  very  often  depends  as  much  on 
the  choice  of  a  right  season,  and  the  adoption  of  a  proper  way  of 
performing  an  action,  as  upon  the  action  itself.  There  are  many 
persons,  on  the  contrary,  who  satisfy  themselves  with  the  first 
only  of  the  inquiries  I  have  mentioned.  They  mind  the  What, 
but  utterly  disregard  the  When  and  the  Hoio;  and,  their  actions 
being  in  themselves  irreprehensible,  they  marvel  that  any  fault 
should  be  found  with  them.  What  have  they  done  that's  wrong? 
And  when  they  are  told  they  have  not  been  wrong  in  what  they 
have  done,  but  have  chosen  a  wrong  time  and  a  wrong  manner  of 
doing  it;  they  feel  very  lightly  under  the  charge,  and  congratu- 
late themselves  on  the  admitted  rectitude  of  the  deed  itself.  That 
is  enough  for  them. 

This  is  very  unwise :  and  indiscretion  of  this  kind  has  ever  been 
an  abundant  source  of  unhappiness  to  men : — 

Versie  6.  Because  to  every  purpose  there  is  time  and  judgment, 
therefore  the  misery  of  man  is  great  upon  him. 

The  degree  of  mischief,  and  disappointment,  and  wretchedness, 
arising  amongst  mankind  from  the  want  of  wise  consideration  of 
seasons  and  circumstances,  is  beyond  calculation.  Were  men  in 
general  more  carefully  attentive  to  these,  a  large  proportion  of  the 
miseries  of  whicli  they  complain  might  readily  be  avoided.  But 
some  by  their  weakness,  others  by  their  heedlessness, — some  by 
their  headstrong  obstinacy,  others  by  their  excess  of  pliancy, — 
some  by  impataent  precipitation,  others  by  procrastinating  dilatori- 
ness, — and  thousands  in  an  endless  variety  of  other  ways, — are  led 
to  overlook  "time  and  judgment,"  and  to  bring  distress  and  ruin 
upon  themselves,  or  others,  or  both. 

Although,  however,  "the  misery  of  man  is,"  by  these  means, 
"greater  upon  him," — much  greater,  than  it  would  otherwise  be; 
yet  many,  at  the  same  time,  are  the  circumstances,  which  human 
foresight  cannot  anticipate;  which  elude  the  penetration  of  the 
most  sagacious;  and  over  which  the  most  vigilant  can  exercise  no 
control.  The  memory  of  the  past  is  not  associated  in  man,  unless 
by  immediate  prophetic  inspiration,  with  the  prescience  of  the 
future.  The  events  of  coming  time  being  beyond  the  sphere  of 
our  acutest  vision,  we  must,  in  very  many  cases,  if  we  act  at  all. 


ECCLESIASTES  viir.  1-8.  269 

act  upon  a  calculation  of  probabilities.  So  that  the  wisest  of  men, 
and,  far  more,  those  who  are  deficient  in  ordinary  foresight,  are 
liable  to  risk,  from  unanticipated  contingencies,  in  almost  all  that 
they  do.  From  this  source,  also,  there  arise  much  disquieting 
solicitude,  frustration  of  hopes,  and  consequent  unhappiness.  This 
is  the  sentiment  expressed  in  the  seventh  verse: — 

Verse  7.  For  he  hnoiocth  not  that  wJiich  shall  be:  for  who  can  tell 
him  irhcn  it  shall  bef 

He  knows  not,  himself,  what  events  are  to  come  in  future  time; 
and  all  his  fellows  being  alike  ignorant,  he  can  obtain  from  no 
one  of  them  any  information,  either  of  the  events  themselves,  or 
of  the  seasons  of  their  occurrence:  an  humbling  truth  of  which  we 
are  often  reminded  in  Scripture,  to  impress  us  with  a  sense  of  our 
intire  dependence.  "Boast  not  thyself  of  to-morrow;  for  thou 
knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth."  Prov.  xxvii.  1.  "Go 
to,  now,  ye  that  say,  To-day  or  to-morrow,  we  will  go  into  such 
a  city,  and  continue  there  a  year,  and  buy  and  sell,  and  get  gain : 
Whereas  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  morrow.  For  what  is 
your  life?  It  is  even  a  vapor,  that  appeareth  for  a  little  time, 
and  then  vauisheth  away?  For  that  ye  ought  to  say.  If  the  Lord 
will,  we  shall  live,  and  do  this  or  that."  James  iv.  13-15. 

There  is  one  event, — an  event  appointed  to  all,  respecting  the 
time  and  circumstances  of  which  this  uncertainty  is  proverbially 
great;  an  event  on  which,  in  the  prosecution  of  our  various 
schemes,  we  are  too  little  disposed  to  calculate;  yet  an  event  which 
has,  times  innumerable,  interrupted  and  thrown  into  confusion 
and  ruin,  the  plans  and  pursuits  of  men;  entailing  mischief  on 
their  associates  in  speculation,  and  on  their  families  or  expectant 
heirs.  You  have  anticipated  the  event  to  which  I  allude.  Of 
death  it  may  always  with  emphasis  be  said,  "who  can  tell  him 
when  it  shall  be?"  It  is  by  God,  the  giver  of  life,  that  "our  days 
are  determined;  the  number  of  our  months  is  with  him:  he  has 
appointed  us  our  bounds,  that  we  cannot  pass."  No;  "ive  cannot 
pass;'' — for  whensoever  the  time  fixed  in  his  sovereign  purpose 
for  our  removal  arrives,  then,  in  the  language  of 

Verse  8.  Inhere  is  no  man  that  hath  jiower  over  the  spirit,  to  retain 
the  spirit,  neither  hath  he  power  in  the  day  of  death:  and  there  is  no 
discharge  in  that  war;  neither  shall  ivickedness  deliver  those  that  are 
given  to  it. 


270  LECTURE  XV. 

"  There  is  no  man  that  hath  power  over  the  spirit,  to  retain  the 
spirit,"— that  is,  to  keep  the  soul  in  its  earthly  tabernacle  one 
instant  longer  than  God's  appointed  time.  This  is  true  of  every 
man,  and  true  both  in  regard  to  himself  and  to  others.  The  power 
that  sways  millions  with  a  nod,  fails  here.  The  wealth  that  pro- 
cures for  its  owner  all  that  his  heart  can  wish,  fails  here.  The 
might  of  the  warrior  which  has  slain  its  thousands,  and  which  no 
human  arm  could  withstand,  fails  here.  The  most  earnest  desire 
of  life;  and  the  tears,  and  the  wailings,  and  the  fond  caresses  of 
disconsolate  affection; — all  fail  here.  No  man,  from  the  prince 
to  the  beggar,  has  power  over  his  own  spirit,  or  over  the  spirit  of 
the  dearest  friend  on  earth,  to  retain  it — no,  not  for  one  moment ; 
any  more  than  he  can  arrest  time  in  its  course,  or  stay  tlie  speed 
of  the  impetuous  tempest.  This  is  a  power  that  resides  in  God 
alone.  He  gave  life;  he  sustains  it;  he  sets  the  time  of  its  con- 
tinuance. He  could  add  to  Hezekiah's  life  fifteen  years,  as  he 
could  prolong  the  day,  by  bringing  back  the  shadow  on  the  dial 
of  Ahaz.  Nay,  he  could,  by  his  incommunicable  power,  restore  the 
parted  soul  to  its  earthly  residence,  after  it  had  fled  away  to  the 
world  of  spirits.  But  such  power  is  not  in  man,  nor  in  any  crea- 
ture :  and  on  the  Divine  exercise  of  it,  wdiich  is  sovereign  and 
uncontrollable,  we  are  incessantly  dependent.  "If  he  set  his 
heart  upon  man,  if  he  gather  unto  himself  his  spirit  and  his 
breath;  all  flesh  shall  perish  together,  and  man  shall  turn  again 
unto  dust."   Job.  xxxiv.  14,  15. 

"Neither  hath  he  power  in  the  day  of  death."  In  that  day,  all 
power  becomes  alike  impotent.  All  bodily  vigor  gives  way ;  and 
all  mental  resources  and  devices  are  equally  unavailing  against 
the  last  enemy.  Whatever  may  be  the  wishes  of  a  man's  heart,  he 
has  no  ability  to  effect  them.  Opposition  is  vain.  For  the  power 
of  death  is,  in  truth,  the  power  of  God.  When  we  speak  of  Death 
as  a  person,  and  call  him  "the  King  of  Terrors,"  I  need  not  say 
we  use  a  mere  figure  of  poetry  or  rhetoric.  When  a  physician 
succeeds  in  arresting  the  progress  of  a  distemper,  and  bringing  up 
from  the  gates  of  death  the  life  that  was  hanging  in  suspense,  let 
us  beware  of  fancying  that  he  counteracts  any  Divine  intention; 
he  fulfills  one.  His  success  only  indicates  what  the  purpose  of 
Providence  had  been;  that  the  sickness  should  not  be  unto  death. 
The  design  to  add  fifteen  years  to  Hezekiah's  life  preceded  the 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.  1-8.  271 

intimation  of  it,  and  the  application  of  the  simple  means  prescribed 
for  its  accomplishment.  And  although  we  have  no  intimation  ©r 
the  intentions  of  heaven,  yet  are  we  equally  sure  that  the  efficacy 
of  means  of  recovery,  in  answer  to  prayer  for  the  Divine  blessing, 
only  shows  us  what  these  intentions,  though  previously  kept  secret, 
had  been; — does  not  frustrate,  but  accomplish  them. 

"And  there  is  no  discharge  in  that  war."  Every  individual 
must  grapple  with  the  last  enemy.  There  is  no  possibility,  what- 
ever may  be  our  dread  of  the  conflict,  of  procuring  a  discharge,. 
and  shunning  its  horrors.  No  flight  and  no  concealment  can  save 
us ;  nor  are  there  any  weapons  of  effectual  resistance.  "  He  counts 
darts  as  stubble,  and  laughs  at  the  shaking  of  the  spear."  And 
it  is  not  here,  as  on  the  plains  of  Thessaly,  or  the  mountains  of 
Gilboa,  or  the  fields  of  Waterloo,  or  (to  the  personal  feelings  of 
the  speaker,  more  sadly  interesting  than  them  all)  the  heights  of 
Salamanca;*  where,  though  hundreds  and  thousands  fell,  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  escaped  and  survived.  This  is  a  field  in 
which  every  man  must  advance;  and  every  man  must  advance 
alone,  to  single  combat;  and  every  man  in  succession  must  fall. 
The  enemy  to  be  encountered  is  himself  invulnerable ;  and  whether 
the  struggle  be  short  or  long,  and  however  successful  for  a  time 
our  eiforts  may  be  to  parry,  or  to  cover  ourselves  from,  his  deadly 
thrust,  he  will,  sooner  or  later,  find  his  way,  with  certain  aim  and 
irresistible  force,  to  every  heart.  If  w^e  reckon  the  population  of 
our  world  at  a  thousand  millions,  and  the  average  of  a  generation 
at  thirty  years,  it  will  follow,  that  ninety  thousand  die  every  day ; 
upwards  of  six^y  every  minute ;  one  every  second  of  time.  How 
solemn  the  thought !  How  rapidly  is  the  world  of  spirits  peopling !. 
And,  alas !  that  there  should  be  so  much  reason  to  fear  that,  in 
past  generations  at  least,  whatever  may  be  the  case  in  those  to 
come,  hell  has  been  peopled  so  much  faster  than  heaven ! 

Whilst  men  of  all  stations  are  the  indiscriminate  victims  of 
death,  so  are  men  of  all  characters.     To  the  children  of  God,  "  to 
live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain."     They  may  meet  the  last  ene- 
my without  dismay;  as  a  friend,  rather  than  an  enemy, — a  friend,, 
that  comes  to  introduce  them  to  God.     To  the  wicked  he  is  em- 

*  In  the  battle  of  Salamanca,  the  author's  brother  fell.  The  reader  will 
excuse  this  little  anachronism ;  for  such  it  will  seem  from  the  statement  in=. 
the  Preface,  of  the  time  when  these  Lectures  were  first  delivered. 


272  LECTURE  XV. 

phatically  the  "King  of  Terrors."  Fondly  would  they  stay  his 
•approach;  fondly  would  they  shun  the  combat;  dreading  (as  well 
ithey  may)  the  fearful  consequences.     But  in  vain: — 

"Neither  shall  wickedness  deliver  them  that  are  given  to  it." 
The  profligate,  the  ungodly,  the  worldly,  may,  in  the  midst  of 
iheir  vicious,  or  of  their  busy  and  unthinking  career,  laugh  at  the 
fears  of  death,  and  set  the  God  of  heaven  at  scornful  defiance. 
But  "God  is  not  mocked."  Death  will  have  his  prey.  All  the 
power  and  all  the  arts  of  the  wicked  cannot  withhold  it.  They 
must  die,  and  "  be  driven  away  in  their  wickedness."  They  may 
,say,  in  the  ])ride  and  folly  of  their  minds,  "We  have  made  a 
covenant  with  death,  and  with  hell  are  we  at  agreement:  when 
the  overflowing  scourge  shall  pass  through,  it  shall  not  reach  unto 
us:" — but  these  are  only  "swelling  words  of  vanity."  God  says 
to  them,  "Your  covenant  with  death  shall  be  disannulled,  and 
your  agreement  with  hell  shall  not  stand :  when  the  overflowing 
scourge  shall  pass  through,  ye  shall  be  trodden  down  by  it,"  Isa. 
xxviii.  15,  18. 

This  passage  suggests  the  following  practical  reflections. 

1.  In  ihe  jii'st 'place ;  This  additional  eulogy  of  wisdom,  should 
operate  as  an  additional  excitement  to  seek  it  from  heaven,  and 
to  cultivate  it  by  all  the  means  of  its  increase;  as  at  once  the  richest 
excellence,  the  loveliest  ornament,  the  strongest  recommendation, 
and  the  most  efficient  instrument  of  good,  in  any  character.  Let 
what  Solomon  says  here  impress  his  exhortations  elsewhere: — 
■^' Get  wisdom;  get  understanding:  forget  it  not;  neither  decline 
from  the  words  of  my  mouth.  Forsake  her  noi,  and  she  shall 
preserve  thee ;  love  her,  and  she  shall  keep  tliee.  Wisdom  is  the 
principal  thing;  therefore  get  wisdom:  and  with  all  thy  getting 
get  understanding.  Exalt  her,  and  she  shall  promote  thee;  she 
shall  bring  thee  to  honor  when  thou  dost  embrace  her.  She  shall 
give  to  thy  head  an  ornament  of  gold  :  a  crown  of  glory  shall  she 
deliver  to  thee.  Take  fast  hold  of  instruction ;  \Qt  her  not  go : 
keep  her;,  for  she  is  thy  life."  Prov.  iv.  5-9,  13. 

2.  Secondly;  Let  us  manifest  the  influence  of  religious  principle, 
in  a  becoming  subjection  to  the  government  of  our  country;  from 
considerations  both  of  duty  and  of  discretion.  We  should  feel  it 
incumbent  upon  us,  "to  shun  all  exasperating  language;  to  re- 
press all  railing  and  indecent  accusations  against  those  who  have 


ECCLESIASTE8  VIII.  1-8.  273 

tlie  management  of  public  affairs;  to  engage  in  no  virulent  oppo- 
sition, or  hasty  measures;  to  continue  in  our  place  and  station; 
not  to  enter  upon,  much  less  to  persist  in,  any  turbulent  attempts ; 
nor  needlessly  to  expose  ourselves  to  the  jealousy  and  resentment 
of  Government." — Scott's  Commentary.  Not  that  we  must  ap- 
prove, in  our  judgment,  of  every  public  measure;  or  that  we  are 
never  to  join  in  temperate  and  constitutional  means  of  procuring 
the  correction  of  abuses,  and  the  rescinding  of  injurious  decisions; 
the  alteration  of  what  is  wrong;  or  the  improvement  of  what  is 
right.  But  in  all,  we  should  be  prudent  and  temperate;  influ- 
enced by  sober  principle  and  genuine  patriotic  regard  to  our  coun- 
try; not  by  presumptuous  self-conceit,  or  revolutionary  frenzy. 
And  surely  I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  that  never  was  there  a 
period  in  the  history  of  Europe,  when  the  duty  was  more  imperious, 
of  being  cautious,  and  diffident,  and  tender,  in  our  censures  of 
public  men,  and  public  measures,  than  it  is  in  the  present  day. 
Events  have  been  so  strange, — they  have,  in  innumerable  instances, 
so  completely  contradicted  all  the  ordinary  calculations  of  proba- 
bility,— that,  without  a  super-human  gift  of  foresight,  no  man 
could  have  at  all  anticipated,  or  provided  against  them.  Never 
was  there  a  season  to  which  the  language  of  the  seventh  verse  was 
more  applicable, — "he  kiioweth  not  that  which  shall  be;  and  who 
can  tell  him  when  it  shall  be? — never  a  period  at  which  a  wise 
man  could  find  it  more  diiiicult,  in  devising  public  measures,  to 
"discern  time  and  judgment;"  or  when  it  was  more  unsafe  and 
unfair,  to  judge  of  such  measures  by  their  successor  their  failure. 
The  constant,  wakeful  vigilance  of  a  free  people  over  the  plans 
and  proceedings  of  their  rulers,  is  of  inestimable  benefit.  But  at 
such  a  time  as  this,  few  things  can  be  more  offensive  to  every 
Christian  feeling,  than  to  hear  men  persist  in  talking,  with  in- 
discriminate severity  of  censure,  of  the  folly  and  impolicy  of  all 
the  measures  of  the  administration.  It  displays  so  intolerable  a 
share  of  arrogant  self-confidence ;  coupled  with  a  deficiency  so  la- 
mentable, of  charity  and  candor!* 

3.   Thirdly;  Let  us  all  recollect,  and  keep  it  in  constant  remem- 

*  These  observations  were  originally  delivered  in  February,  1811.  They 
are  I'etained  without  alteration,  because,  in  the  spirit  of  them,  they  are  ap- 
plicable to  all  times,  and  especially  to  all  seasons  of  public  difficulty  and  em- 
barrassment, arising  from  the  perplexing  darkness  of  providential  arrange- 
ments. 

18 


271  LECTURE  XV. 

brance,  that  there  is  one  King,  in  whose  hands,  and  in  whose 
hands  alone,  unlimited  power  is  safe;  whose  word  is  law;  and  in 
obeying  whose  authority  we  can  never  err.  His  commands  are 
all  right;  and  they  are  all  beyond  dispute.  To  his  authority  let 
as  yield  a  willing  and  unreserved  subjection:  for  "his  law  is  per- 
fect; his  statutes  are  right;  his  commandment  is  pure;  his  judg- 
ments are  true  and  righteous  altogether."  If  such  be  the  impru- 
dence, such  the  hazard,  of  obstinate  disobedience  to  an  earthly 
monarch;  how  imminent,  think  you,  must  be  the  peril;  how  ex- 
treme the  folly ;  of  the  man,  who  scorns  the  rebukes  of  his  Maker, 
;ind  hardens  himself  against  God?  Who  hath  ever  done  so,  and 
hath  prospered?  The  words  of  admonition, — "Stand  not  in  an 
evil  thing;  for  he  doeth  whatsoever  pleaseth  him:  where  the  word 
of  a  king  is,  there  is  power;  and  who  may  say  unto  him.  What 
doest  thou?" — may  here  be  applied  with  unlimited  emphasis.  Yes: 
where  the  word  of  this  king  is,  there  is  power;  almighty,  irre- 
sistible power;  power,  which  no  created  arm  can  defy  with  im- 
punity. Whilst  you  carefully  endeavor  to  order  your  temporal 
affairs  with  that  discretion  which  may  insure  success  and  pros- 
perity; O  with  what  miserable  imprudence  do  you  conduct  your- 
selves, whilst  you  live  in  forgetfulness  of  God,  and  in  thoughtless 
disregard  of  death,  and  judgment,  and  eternity!  No  imprudence 
can  be  equal  to  this.  "A  wise  man's  heart  discerneth  both  time 
and  judgment."  Is  it,  then,  consistent  with  the  character  of  a  wise 
man; — does  it  accord  with  the  dictates  of  that  prudence,  which 
you  wish  to  apply  to  the  regulation  of  all  your  concerns; — that, 
although  you  know  "  the  time  to  be  short "  and  proverbially  un- 
certain, and  eternal  consequences  to  be  depending  on  every  mo- 
ment that  passes  over  you,  you  should  live  unprepared  for  eterni- 
ty? Is  it  prudent  in  you,  conscious  as  you  must  be  of  guilt,  to 
run  the  risk  of  encountering  the  displeasure  of  an  offended  God, 
and  to  pay  no  attention  to  the  nature  and  the  vouchers  of  what 
conies  to  you  in  the  form  and  with  the  claims  of  a  proposal  from 
Him?  Be  persuaded  to  think,  and  to  think  now.  Be  wise  to-day : 
to-morrow  is  not  yours. 

4.  Fourthly;  Let  these  admonitions  be  inforced,  by  the  absolute 
and  infallible  certainty  of  your  coming  to  death.  Had  you  "  power 
over  the  spirit  to  retain  the  spirit,"  or  could  you  procure  a  "dis- 
charge "  from  the  conflict  with  the  last  enemy ;  could  you  prolong 


ECCLESIASTIC   VIII.    1-8.  275 

your  life  at  pleasure,  and  secure  to  yourselves  immortality  on 
earth ;  then  might  you,  with  some  pretensions  to  reason,  disregard 
our  serious  warnings,  and  take  your  own  way.  But  well  you 
know,  it  is  far  otherwise.  The  hour  of  your  departure  is  to  you, 
as  it  is  to  all,  a  secret:  "  Who  can  tell  you  when  it  shall  be?" 
But  it  is  fixed; — fixed  in  the  purpose  of  Him  "without  whonl  a 
sparrow  falleth  not  to  the  ground."  It  is  fixed; — and,  for  aught 
you  can  tell,  it  may  be  very  near.  You  may  not  be  destined  to 
see  the  shining  of  to-morrow's  sun ;  and,  if  you  should,  to-morrow 
will  still  be  as  uncertain  as  to-day.  Many  of  those  who  are  dy- 
ing to-day  had  as  little  thought  of  it  yesterday,  as  those  who  are 
living  to-day  have  of  dying  to-morrow.  The  "King  of  terrors  " 
you  must  meet, — ^you  mu.'it  encounter:  and  it  is  a  conflict  in  which 
"the  help  of  man  is  vain;"  in  which  fellow-creatures  can  do  you 
no  service.  And,  will  you,  then,  engage  this  enemy  alone?  Will 
you  enter  the  lists  with  him  single-handed?  Will  you  meet  him 
without  the  armor  of  God? — without  the  shield  of  faith,  and  the 
helmet  of  hope? — without  the  breastplate  of  righteousness,  and 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit?  Will  you  venture  into  the  dark  valley, 
without  the  Lord  with  you, — without  his  rod  and  his  staff  to  com- 
fort you?  Will  you  be  your  own  light, — your  own  strength, — 
your  own  salvation?  O  blind  self-sufficiency!  O  thoughtless 
and  infatuated  presumption !  You  give  this  a  wrong  name  when 
you  call  it  courage.  It  is  insensibility ; — the  insensibility  of  ignor- 
ance. Look  unto  Jesus!  He  has  "abolished  death,  and  brought 
life  and  incorruption  to  light,  by  the  gospel."  "  Through  death, 
he  has  destroyed  him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the 
devil ;  and  delivered  them  who,  through  fear  of  death,  were  all 
their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage,"  Believing  in  him,  building 
your  hopes  on  him,  living  to  him,  you  will  be  safe;  and  no  other- 
wise. You  may  then  anticipate  death  with  a  measure  of  his  feel- 
ings who  said,  "To  me  to  live  is  Christ;  and  to  die  is  gain.  I 
am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to  depart  and  to  be 
with  Christ,  which  is  far  better."  And  at  the  solemn  hour  when 
you  must  bid  a  final  adieu  to  the  world;  when,  to  you,"  "time 
.shall  be  no  longer;"  you  may  say,  in  humble,  yet  triumphant  con- 
fidence, "O  death!  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave!  where  is  thy 
victory?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin;  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the 
law :  but  thanks  be  unto  God,  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Chrisi!" 


LECTURE  XVI. 


ECCLESIASTES   VIII.    9-17. 

"All  this  have  1  seen,  and  applied  my  heart  unto  every  work  that  h  done 
under  the  sun:  (there  is)  a  time  wherein  one  man  ruleth  over  another  to 
his  own  hurt.  10.  And  so  I  saw  the  wicked  buried,  who  had  come  and 
gone  from  the  place  of  the  holy,  and  they  were  forgotten  in  the  city  where 
tliey  had  so  done.  This  (is)  also  vanity.  11.  Because  sentence  against  an 
evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men 
is  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil.  12.  Though  a  sinner  do  evil  a  hundred 
times,  and  his  (days)  be  prolonged,  yet  surely  I  know  that  it  shall  be  well 
with  them  that  fear  God,  which  fear  before  him  ;  13.  But  it  shall  not  be 
.well  with  the  wicked,  neither  shall  he  prolong  (his)  days,  (which  are)  as  a 
shadow;  because  he  feareth  not  before  God.  14.  There  is  a  vanity  which 
is  done  upon  the  earth;  that  there  he  just  (men,)  unto  whom  it  happeneth 
according  to  the  work  of  the  wicked;  again,  there  be  wicked  (men,)  to 
whom  it  happeneth  according  to  the  work  of  the  righteous.  I  said  that  this 
:also  (is)  vanity.  15.  Then  I  commended  mirth,  because  a  mtm  hnth  no 
.better  thing  under  the  sun,  than  to  eat,  and  to  drink,  and  to  be  merry:  for 
that  shall  abide  with  him  of  his  labor  the  days  of  his  life,  which  God  giveth 
him  under  the  sun.  16.  When  I  applied  mine  heart  to  know  wisdom,  and 
to  see  the  business  that  is  done  upon  the  earth:  for  also  (there  is  that) 
neither  day  nor  night  seeth  sleep  with  his  eyes:  17.  Then  I  beheld  all  the 
work  of  God,  that  a  man  cannot  find  out  the  work  that  is  done  under  the 
sun:  because  tliough  a  man  labor  to  seek  (it)  out,  yet  he  shall  not  find  (it); 
yea  further;  though  a  wise  (man)  think  to  know  (it),  yet  shall  he  not  be 
able  to  find  (it). 

Verse  9.  All  this  have  I  seen,  and  applied  my  heart  unto  every 
work  that  is  done  under  the  sun:  there  is  a  time  wherein  one  man 
ruleth  over  another  to  his  own  hurt. 

Apart  from  Divine  testimony,  observation  and  experience  are 
the  surest  grounds  of  accurate  knowledge.  In  the  book  of  Eccle- 
siastes,  we  have  not  the  thoughts  and  opinions  of  a  man  who,  with 
little  or  no  attention  to  facts,  sits  down  in  his  closet  to  commit  to 
writing  the  speculations,  conjectures,  and  theories  of  an  inventive 
and  ingenious  mind.     We  have  the  results  of  a  personal  survey: 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.  9-17.  277 

of  a  close  and  acute  inspection  of  men  and  things;  confirmed,  iti 
many  instances,  by  actual  trial,  and  recorded  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  Spirit  of  truth.  The  book,  therefore,  possesses  a 
peculiar  interest,  as  combining,  in  the  lessons  which  it  teaches,  the 
evidence  of  human  experiment  with  the  sanction  of  Divine  au- 
thority. 

"All  this  have  I  seen,"  says  Solomon,  in  the  first  of  these  verses, 
"and  applied  my  heart  unto  every  work  that  is  done  under  the 
sun:" — that  is,  to  the  attentive  observation,  and  diligent  scrutiny, 
both  of  the  procedure  of  Providence  towards  this  world,  and  of 
the  conduct  of  mankind  in  the  various  conditions  of  life.  And  in 
the  course  of  his  survey,  there  was  one  thing  which  he  had  not 
unfrequeutly  remarked,  that  superiority  to  others — the  possession 
and  exercise  of  authority — was  coveted  by  many,  without  due  con- 
sideration of  its  tendencies;  that  unless  the  power  be  well  and 
wisely  used,  it  had  better,  even  for  the  sake  of  its  possessor,  be 
wanted : — 

"There  is  a  time  wherein  one  man  ruleth  over  another  to  his 
own  hurt." 

Had  not  Solomon  himself  experienced  the  truth  of  this?  His 
royal  honor  was  at  once  his  temptation  to  sin,  and  his  opportunity; 
and  in  sinning,  himself,  he  led  his  subjects  astray  along  with  him. 
This  turned  out  "to  his  own  hurt,"  as  well  as  to  the  hurt  of  his 
people;  for  it  was  in  consequence  of  this  perversion  of  his  au- 
thority by  which  he  "  made  Israel  to  sin,"  that  the  Lord  stirred 
up  against  him  various  adversaries,  to  harass  him,  and  to  disturb 
the  peace  of  his  reign ;  and  forewarned  him  of  the  rending  away 
of  ten  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  from  the  dominions  of  his  son. — Be- 
sides, as  Solomon  when  forsaking  Jehovah,  following  the  world, 
and  "going  after  strange  gods,"  could  not  be  satisfied  with  him- 
self; and  as  a  conscience  that  is  ill  at  ease,  a  self-upbraiding  spirit, 
usually  produces  a  very  unhappy  effect  upon  the  temper,  render- 
ing a  man,  in  his  conduct  towards  others,  hasty,  passionate,  sullen, 
and  capricious;  it  is  not  improbable  that  some  ground  had  been 
given  by  him,  during  the  time,  especially,  of  his  defection  from 
the  service  of  God,  for  the  complaints  afterwards  made  by  his  sub- 
jects to  his  son  and  successor  respecting  the  grievousne^s  of  his 
yoke,  when  they  presented  their  unsuccessful  petition  for  its  miti- 
gation, and  for  a  gentler  system  of  rule. 


278  LECTURE  XVI. 

The  influence  of  a  disquieted  conscience  in  producing  angry  and 
capricious  rigor,  is  exemplified  in  the  case  of  Asa :  who,  when  re- 
proved by  Hanani  the  seer,  for  his  folly  and  distrust  of  Jehovah; 
and  threatened,  as  his  punishment,  with  wars  for  the  remainder  of 
his  reign,  "  was  wroth  with  the  seer,  and  put  him  in  the  prison 
house:  and  Asa,"  it  is  added  in  the  history,  "oppressed  some  of 
the  people  the  same  time."  He  wreaked  his  unreasonable  an- 
ger against  this  prophet,  and  his  secret  rankling  dissatisfaction 
with  himself,  in  acts  of  passionate  severity  towards  his  subject*^. 

Some  of  Solomon's  successors  in  the  throne  of  Judah,  and  many, 
alas !  of  the  kings  of  Israel,  might  be  j^roduced  as  exemplifications 
of  the  truth  here  stated ;  and  not  a  few  might  be  added  from  the 
general  history  of  both  ancient  and  modern  nations.  Often  have 
unprincipled  and  oppressive  tyrants  brought  upon  themselves  the 
vengeance  of  their  subjects,  and  come  to  an  untimely  end.  They 
have  "ruled  over  others  to  their  own  hurt;"  their  power  having 
prospered  for  a  time,  but  ultimately  involved  them  in  insurrection 
and  ruin.  And  even  if  they  should  escape  the  indignant  fury  of 
the  oppressed,  still  the  abuse  of  power  is  to  their  hurt;  for  "he 
that  is  higher  than  the  highest  regardeth,"  and  they  "treasure  up 
to  themselves  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God." 

It  is,  primarily  at  least,  to  such  characters,  that  the  tenth  verse 
refers : — 

Verse  10.  And  so  I  saw  the  wicked  buried,  who  had  come  and 
gone  from  the  place  of  the  holy;  and  they  ivere  forgotten  in  the  dty 
where  thefhad  so  done.   This  is  also  vanity. 

By  "the  place  of  the  holy"  some  understand  the  seat  of  judg- 
ment, which,  in  chapter  iii.  16,  had  been  denominated  "the  place 
of  righteousness."  It  is  the  place  which  ought  to  be  occupied  by 
the  holy,  and  not  by  the  wicked,  and  over  which  the  Most  Holy 
may  be  considered  as  presiding,  with  peculiar  jealousy  of  its  purity, 
and  displeasure  at  its  corruption.  And  by  the  wicked  being 
buried  who  had  occupied  this  honorable  seat,  they  conceive  to  be 
meant,  his  being  buried  with  all  the  splendor  of  funeral  pomp ; 
with  all  the  ceremonial  of  lamentation  and  woe : — whilst  their  be- 
ing "forgotten  in  the  city"  is  thought  to  refer  to  the  change  pro- 
duced in  the  public  mind  by  death : — to  that  kind  of  good-natured 
disposition  which  leads  men  to  say  no  ill  of  the  dead, — to  deal 


ECCLESIASTES  VIII.    9-17.  279 

gently  with  their  faults, — to  palliate  and  even  to  banish  from  their 
remembrance  the  very  enormities  for  which  they  cursed  them 
during  their  lives;  and  to  honor  in  death  those  wJio  disgrace<l 
themselves  in  life. 

But  this  view  is  neither  natural  in  itself,  nor  suitable  to  the 
connection.  Solomon  had  said,  in  the  eighth  verse,  that  "wick- 
edness could  not  deliver  those  that  were  given  to  it,"  from  the 
stroke  of  death : — nay,  at  times,  as  he  adds  in  the  ninth  verse,  a 
man's  wickedness,  especially  in  the  abuse  of  power,  might  prove 
the  means  of  hurt  and  ruin  to  himself.  It  is  the  same  sentiment 
that  he  continues  to  illustrate  in  verse  10: — "I  saw  the  wicked, 
who  had  come  and  gone  from  the  place  of  the  holy," — who  had 
attended  the  sanctuary,  joined  in  the  worship  of  God,  and  cloaked 
their  unrighteousness  and  oppression  under  the  garb  of  external 
piety, — who  had  "come  and  gone,"  continuing  their  hypocritical 
career  in  safety,  no  marks  of  Divine  vengeance  visiting  them  for 
their  awful  profanation  and  odious  dissembling; — "I  saw  the 
wicked,  who  had  lately  flourished  in  their  wickedness;  who,  in 
the  possession  of  great  power,  had  "prospered  in  bringing  evil 
devices  to  pass;" — I  saw  them  buried, — the  victims  of  mortality 
equally  with  others;  unable  any  more  than  the  meanest  and  the 
weakest  of  their  oppressed  subjects  "to  retain  the  spirit,"  and 
having  no  power  more  than  they  in  the  day  of  death : — I  saw  them 
buried, — carried,  in  affecting  humiliation  and  impotence,  to  "the 
house  appointed  for  all  living."  And  this  was  not  only  the  "  land 
of  forgetfulness,"  as  to  any  knowledge  on  their  part  of  what  was 
passing  amongst  men ;  but  the  "  land  of  forgetfulness,"  as  to  the 
remembrance  of  them  by  their  survivors  on  earth: — "They  were 
forgotten  in  the  city  where  they  had  so  done."  They  had  sought 
after,  and  expected,  perpetual  fame:  but  men  had  no  pleasure  in 
remembering  them ;  when  out  of  sight,  they  were  out  of  mind ; 
their  name  and  memory  rotted  with  their  carcases  in  the  dust. 
The  sentiment  is  similar  to  that  expressed  by  the  Psalmist: — "] 
have  seen  the  wicked  in  great  power,  and  spreading  himself  like 
a  green  bay  tree:  yet  he  passed  away,  and  lo!  he  was  not;  yea  ] 
sought  him,  but  he  could  not  be  found."  Psalm  xxxvii.  35,  36. 

I  have  considered  the  expression,  "  who  had  come  and  gone  from 
the  place  of  the  holy,"  as  implying  the  continuance  of  the  course 
described,  without  interruption  by  any  interposition  of  heaven, 


280  LECTURE    XVI. 

or  indication  of  Divine  displeasure.  The  forbearance  of  God,  and 
the  abuse  of  it  by  men  for  their  encouragement  in  sin,  are  accord- 
ingly introduced  with  more  particular  emphasis  in  the  eleventh 
verse: — 

Verse  11.  Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed 
speedily,  therefoi^e  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  fully  set  in  them  to 
do  evil. 

A  matter  of  fact  is  stated  in  these  words,  with  its  sad  and  fatal 
influence  on  the  minds  and  characters  of  ungodly  and  inconsiderate 
men.  "Sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  executed  speedily." 
Particular  sins  are  not,  in  the  Divine  administration,  visited  with 
instant  punishment.  Nay,  even  the  man  who  lives  in  sin;  in  the 
daily  and  hourly  defiance  of  every  restraint;  and  in  the  fearless 
violation  of  every  precept  of  heaven ;  is  allowed  to  pursue  his 
course  without  the  immediate  arrest  of  judicial  vengeance.  The 
lips  of  the  blasphemer  are  not  sealed  in  death  the  moment  he  has 
uttered  his  blasphemy :  he  lives  to  repeat  it  a  thousand  and  a 
thousand  times.  Week  after  week  is  the  sabbath-breaker  spared, 
to  profane  in  succession  the  Days  of  God.  The  arm  of  justice  is 
not  instantly  put  forth  upon  the  murderer  while  the  life-blood  is 
warm  on  his  guilty  hands,  to  hurry  him  away  to  the  judgment- 
seat  of  God.  The  secrets  of  impurity  are  not  immediately  brought 
out  to  light,  detected,  exposed,  and  punished,  by  Him,  from  whose 
eye  "no  darkness  or  shadow  of  death  can  hide  the  workers  of  in- 
iquity." The  haughty  tyrant,  the  persecuting  oppressor,  is  not 
always,  in  the  flush  of  his  impious  arrogance,  smitten  by  the  angel 
of  the  Lord,  because  he  gives  not  God  the  glory.  See  Acts  xii. 
20-23.  The  "unprofitable  servant," — the  useless  cumberer  of 
the  ground, — is  not  cut  down  in  his  first  barren  season,  but  s])ared 
through  many  a  year  of  fruitlessness  and  vain  expectation.  Sin- 
ners of  every  name,  and  of  every  degree,  continue  to  live,  and 
continue  to  prosper. 

Such  being  the  order  of  the  divine  administration  ;  such  the 
forbearance  and  long-suffering  of  God ;  the  corrupt  and  infatuated 
children  of  men,  bent  on  the  indulgence  of  their  sinful  lusts  and 
passions,  "encourage  themselves  in  an  evil  way;"  they  strengthen 
themselves  in  wickedness ;  hand  joins  in  hand  in  the  combinations 
of  iniquity;  "their  heart  is  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil." 

Future  and  unseen  things  make  a  much  less  lively  imj^ression 


ECCLE8IA8TB6  VIII.  9-17.  281 

Oil  the  mind  than  things  that  are  present  and  seen.  This  world 
meets  the  senses  in  ten  thousand  forms  of  temptation ;  whilst  the 
world  to  come  is  far  off  and  invisible.  The  pleasures  of  sin  are 
immetliate,  affording  present  gratification :  its  future  consequences 
are  distant  and  unfelt.  That,  too,  which  men,  from  whatever 
principle,  wish  to  be  true,  they  are  naturally  prone  to  believe;  the 
judgment  being  the  dupe  of  the  heart,  and  the  heart  "deceitful 
above  all  things."  They  are  fond  of  thinking  that  sin  will  not 
expose  them  to  such  irremediable  vengeance  as  the  Bible  threatens. 
They  are  willing  to  be  persuaded  of  this;  and  they  flatter  them- 
selves into  the  persuasion  by  the  wiles  of  a  thousand  sophistries. 
At  first,  it  may  be,  they  commit  sin  with  a  timid  heart  and  a 
trembling  hand.  They  hesitate  long.  But  at  length,  though  Math 
irresolute  tremor,  it  is  done.  No  harm  comes  to  them.  No  indi- 
cations of  the  anger  of  Heaven  follow  the  deed.  They  feel  them- 
selves safe.  And,  having  tasted  of  the  sin,  it  is  sweet;  and  they 
desire  it  again.  It  is  done  again ;  still  with  scruple  and  shrinking, 
but  with  less  than  before.  The  third  time,  their  apprehensions 
are  still  weaker;  and  they  learn,  with  less  and  less  remorse,  to 
"walk  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  to  stand  in  the  way  of  sin- 
ners, and  to  sit  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful."  Finding,  that  they 
are  not  struck  dead  on  the  spot, — that  "sentence  against  an  evil 
work  is  not  executed  speedily," — they  begin  to  suspect  whether 
God  be  actually-  privy  to  their  words  and  deeds ;  to  say  in  their 
hearts  to  themselves,  and  with  flattering  lips  to  one  another,  "God 
hath  forgotten ;  he  hideth  his  face,  he  will  never  see  it."  They 
doubt  of  providence;  or  they  flatter  themselves  that  surely  the 
Supreme  Ruler,  if  he  exists  at  all,  and  takes  any  notice  of  the 
affairs  of  men,  cannot  be  such  an  enemy  to  sin  as  he  has  been 
represented;  that  he  will  be  very  merciful  and  lenient  to  the 
frailties  of  his  erring  creatures;  for  how,  say  they,  are  we  to  know 
what  he  means  to  do  in  future,  if  not  by  what  he  does  now?  He 
will  not  be  strict  to  mark  iniquity :  he  is  good;  and  goodness  shall 
at  last  carry  the  day.  Thus  they  gradually  cast  off  restraint, 
contemn  God,  and  say,  "He  will  not  require  it."  This  is  a  fearful 
process;  but  there  is  reason  to  apprehend,  it  is  not  a  very  uncom- 
mon one.  Wicked  men  are,  in  reference  to  a  judgment  to  come, 
like  Pharaoh  of  old,  who  persisted  in  hardening  his  heart  against 
God,  always  "  when  he  saw  that  there  was  respite." 


282  LECTURE   XVI. 

Such  is  the  way  in  which  the  suspension  of  the  sentence  of  God 
against  sin," — the  delay  of  punishment, — aifects  the  corrupt  heart.*- 
of  "the  sons  of  men."  Instead  of  "the  goodness  of  God  leading 
them  to  repentance,"  they  take  advantage  of  it;  they  "despise  the 
riches  of  his  goodness,  and  forbearance,  and  long-suftering,  and 
after  their  hardness  and  impenitent  heart,  treasure  up  unto  them- 
selves wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of  the  right- 
eous judgment  of  God."     But  is  it  an  awful  delusion : — 

Verses  12,  13.  Though  a  sinner  do  evil  a  huTidred  times,  and  his 
days  be  prolonged,  yet  surely  I  know  that  it  shall  be  well  with  them 
that  fear  God,  who  fear  before  him:  but  it  shall  not  be  well  with  thf 
wicked,  neither  shcdl  he  prolong  his  days,  which  are  as  a  shadow; 
because  hefeareth  not  before  God. 

"Though  a  sinner  do  evil  a  hundred  times,"  that  is,  ever  so 
many  times,  "and  his  days  be  prolonged," — no  deadly  vengeance 
lighting  on  his  trespasses; — though,  from  present  impunity,  he 
becomes  unceasingly  bold  in  sin ;  going  on  from  bad  to  worse,  till, 
at  the  hundredth  time,  his  conscience  becomes  "seared  as  with  a 
hot  iron:" — yet  still  there  is  a  distinction  between  the  righteouf* 
and  the  wicked ;  between  him  that  serveth  God,  and  him  that 
serveth  him  not.  "Surely  I  know," — it  was  a  matter  of  firm  and 
indubitable  certainty  with  Solomon,  and  so  it  should  be  with  us ; 
one  of  those  fundamental  truths,  one  of  those  moral  axioms,  of 
which  nothing  should  be  allowed  to  shake  our  confident  assur- 
ance:— "it  shall  be  well  with  them  that  fear  God."  The  fear  of 
God  is  here,  as  it  is  very  generally  in  the  Scriptures,  put  for  the 
whole  of  true  religion,  both  in  its  inward  jirinciples  and  its  out- 
ward practice, — both  in  the  heart,  and  in  the  life.  "It  shall  be 
well  with  them"  during  life;  the  favor  and  the  blessing  of  God 
attending  them  amidst  all  its  changes,  soothing  their  sorrows,  and 
heightening  the  relish  of  their  joys,  and  making  "all  things  to 
work  together  for  their  good."  "It  shall  be  well  with  them"  m 
death; — "Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright;  for  the 
latter  end  of  that  man  is  peace:" — "The  righteous  hath  hope  in 
his  death:"  "good  hope,"  resting  on  a  sure  foundation,  securing 
his  mind  against  the  agitations  of  foreboding  fear,  and  enabling 
him  to  say,  "O  Death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  Grave,  where  is  thy 
victory?"  "It  shall  be  well  with  them"  in  the  judgment:  for 
they  shall  stand  with  acceptance  before  the  throne  of  God;  they 


ECCLESIASTES    VIII.    9-17.  283 

shall  hear  his  voice  address  them  in  blessing,  and  shall  instantly 
feel  the  sentence  fulfilled  in  the  commencement  of  unmingled 
and  never-ending  felicity. — "  But  it  shall  not  be  well  with  the 
wicked/' — either  while  he  lives,  or  when  he  dies,  or  when  he 
stands  before  the  tribunal  of  God.  Not  while  he  lives;  for  even 
when  he  prospers,  it  is  ill  with  him :  the  curse  of  Heaven  is  upon  his 
tabernacle,  and  it  secretly  mingles  itself  with  all  his  enjoyments. 
He  is  "cursed  in  the  city,  and  cursed  in  the  field;  cursed  in  his 
basket  and  store;  cursed  in  the  fruit  of  his  body,  and  the  fruit  of 
his  land;  in  the  increase  of  his  kine,  and  the  flocks  of  his  sheep; 
cursed  when  he  cometh  in,  and  cursed  when  he  goeth  out."  Not 
when  he  dies: — for  he  has  then  nothing  before  him  but  "a  fearful 
looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation,  which  shall  devour 
tlie  adversaries:" — He  shall  be  "driven  away  in  his  wickedness;" 
quitting  in  horror  a  world  that  has  cheated  and  damned  his  soul: 
or  if  he  should  "have  no  bands  in  his  death,"  the  more  over- 
whelming will  be  the  wretchedness  of  his  disappointment,  when 
he  plunges  into  unanticipated  woe.  Not  when  he  appears  before 
the  judgment  seat, — for  "the  ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judg- 
ment, nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous;  because 
the  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous,  but  the  way  of  the 
ungodly  shall  perish." 

"Neither  shall  he  prolong  his  days,  which  are  as  a  shadow." 
The  meaning  is  not,  that  he  shall  not  live  long.  Many  an  un- 
godly man  reaches  and  passes  the  limit  of  "threescore  years  and 
ten."  But  his  time  of  departure  must  come.  It  may  be  earlier 
or  later.  He  may  "do  evil  a  hundred  times  and  his  days  be  pro- 
longed." But  it  cannot  be  always  so.  His  days  are  still  "as  a 
shadow;"  they  pass  successively  away,  and  the  last  of  them  must 
quickly  arrive.  And  when  it  does  arrive,  every  wish  for  pro- 
longed life  will  be  vain.  He  will  not  be  able  to  command  the 
addition  of  a  single  day,  any  more  than  to  arrest  "the  shadow's 
fleeting  form."  Even  when  he  is  most  anxious  to  live,  the  time 
may  come  for  him  to  die: — when  he  anticipates  most  joyously  a 
lengthened  journey,  he  may  reach  the  "bound  which  he  cannot 
pass:" — when  his  heart  is  beating  highest  with  worldly  expecta- 
tion, its  last  pulse  may  be  near  at  hand.  And  then  "wickedness 
shall  not  deliver  him  that  is  given  to  it."     He  "shall  not  prolong 


284  LECTURE  XVI. 

his  days."  The  shadow  must  pass.  "  His  breath  goeth  forth ;  he 
returneth  to  his  dust:  in  that  very  day,  his  thoughts  perish." 

Although,  however,  there  is  a  distinction,  of  which  the  Lord 
and  Judge  of  all  never  loses  sight,  between  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked;  yet,  in  the  administration  of  Divine  providence,  character 
is  not  the  measure  for  the  distribution  of  temporal  good.  This  is 
the  sentiment  expressed  in  the  fourteenth  verse: — 

Verse  14.  There  is  a  vanity  which  is  done  upon  the  earth;  that 
there  be  just  men  unto  whom  it  happeneth  according  to  the  work  of 
the  wicked;  again,  there  be  moked  men  to  tvhom  it  happeneth  accord- 
ing to  the  work  of  the  righteous.  I  said,  this  also  is  vanity. 

The  investigation  of  this  mystery  in  the  providence  of  God,  (for 
it  is  of  providence  that  Solomon  evidently  speaks,)  we  shall  defer 
till  our  next  lecture;  the  sentiment  which  is  expressed  in  the  verse 
now  before  us  being  enlarged  upon  in  the  beginning  of  the  follow- 
ing chapter.  The  matter  of  fact,  I  only  observe  at  present,  is 
now,  as  it  was  then,  manifest  to  every  observer.  And  well  might 
it  be  denominated,  in  relation  to  the  great  design  of  this  treatise, 
"a  vanity."  Nothing  could  more  strikingly  show  the  vanity  of 
the  world,  and  the  folly  of  excessive  attachment  to  its  pleasures,  or 
confidence  in  its  possessions.  For,  can  any  thing  be  more  irra- 
tional, than  to  fix  the  heart  on  what  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  se- 
cure by  any  means,  or  by  any  course  of  conduct? — what  is  uncer- 
tain to  the  good  as  well  as  to  the  bad;  and  is  neither  exclusively 
connected,  in  the  purpose  and  procedure  of  God,  with  righteous- 
ness nor  with  wickedness;  what  is  neither  retained  by  the  one, 
nor  forfeited  by  the  other;  what  is  neither  a  mark  of  Divine  satis- 
faction, nor  of  Divine  displeasure;  what  may  be  given  with  a  frown 
and  taken  away  with  a  smile ;  what  the  possession  of  may  be  a  curse, 
and  the  loss  of  may  be  a  blessing.  The  very  arrangement  itself, 
besides,  when  viewed  without  relation  to  a  future  world,  bears 
the  aspect  of  vanity.  It  seems  strange,  unreasonable,  unaccounta- 
ble; like  the  result  of  a  vain  and  unsettled  caprice,  rather  than 
of  a  wise  and  well-directed  principle. 

Verse  15.  Then  I  commended  mirth,  because  a  man  hath  no  better 
thing  under  the  sun,  than  to  eat,  and  to  drink,  and  to  be  merry ;  for 
that  shall  abide  ivith  him  of  his  labor  the  days  of  his  life,  which  God 
giveth  him  under  the  sun. 

This  may  be  understood  in  two  ways,  according  to  the  time  at 


ECCLESIASTES   VIII.    9-17.  285 

which  we  suppose  the  commendation  of  mirth  to  have  been  uttered. 
First,  we  might  consider  it  as  the  libertine  conchision,  drawn  by 
Solomon,  from  the  state  of  things  here  described,  in  the  "days  of 
his  vanity:" — as  if  he  had  said, — "Seeing  these  things  are  so,  let 
us  indulge  ourselves.  What  better  can  we  do,  than  to  enjoy  the 
world  while  it  is  our  in  power?  Let  us  eat,  and  drink,  and  be  merry ; 
for  the  pleasure  which  a  man  has  actually  enjoyed  is  that  alone 
which  he  can  say  with  certainty  is  his  own;  that  alone  which  he 
is  sure  shall  abide  with  him  of  his  labor ;  that  alone  of  which 
he  cannot  be  bereaved  or  disappointed." — Or,  secondly,  we  might 
interpret  it  as  his  serious  inference,  in  the  days  of  his  returning 
wisdom,  respecting  the  use  which  a  man  should  make  of  worldly 
good,  wliile  God  is  pleased  to  bless  hira  with  the  possession  of  it. 
In  this  case,  "  mirth  "  must  be  understood,  not  of  licentious  jollitv, 
but  of  the  cheerful  enjoyment  of  the  bounties  of  Heaven;  and 
"eating  and  drinking,"  of  the  happy  and  unsolicitous  use  of  that 
portion  of  the  world's  good  which  Divine  kindness  has  bestowed. 
The  measure  of  a  man's  earthly  prosperity,  and  of  the  success  of 
his  labor,  is  a  matter  of  complete  uncertainty:  but  a  cheerful  and 
contented  spirit,  disposed  to  enjoy  whatever  portion  is  sent,  is  a 
sure  and  constant  blessing.  The  secret  of  happiness,  so  far  as  it 
depends  on  the  things  of  time,  is  to  enjoy  prosperity  cheerfully^ 
and  without  the  irksome  and  depressing  apprehensio^i«!  of  an  anx- 
ious mind,  as  long  as  it  continues;  and  if  it  is  lessened  or  with- 
drawn, still  to  receive  our  diminished  and  stinted  supplies  with  the 
same  cheerful  and  buoyant  gratitude; — thus  making  the  best  of 
that  which,  both  in  its  degree  and  its  continuance,  is  so  prover- 
bially uncertain.  Amidst  all  changes,  this  happy  frame  of  spirit 
may  be  preserved.  It  is  a  "joy"  with  which  "a  stranger  cannot 
intermeddle." — "A  merry  heart  doeth  good  like  a  medicine." — 
"He  that  is  of  a  merry  heart,  hath  a  continual  feast." 

In  this  view  of  the  verse,  it  contains  much  the  same  sentiment 
as  on  different  occasions  has  been  already  before  us.  r;hap.  ii.  24. 
iii.  12,  13.  V.  18.  He  does  not  mean,  that  the  unrestrained  en- 
joyment of  temporal  pleasures  is  the  chief  good.  The  whole  tenor 
of  his  treatise  belies  such  a  supposition.  Neither  does  he  mean, 
that  even  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  things  of  this  world,  we  are  to 
be  selfish,  and  to  consult  exclusively  our  own  immediate  gratifi- 
cation.    This  is  not  less  inconsistent  with  the  general  spirit,  and 


286  LECTURE  xvr. 

the  express  declarations  of  the  book.  His  language  is  neither  that 
of  libertinism,  nor  of  selfishness.  It  is  the  language  of  experienced 
discretion;  of  piety  and  practical  wisdom; — recommending  con- 
t-eated  cheerfulness, — the  thankful  reception,  and  the  free,  un- 
anxious,  and  lively  enjoyment,  of  whatever  portion  of  earthly 
things  the  providence  of  God  may  be  pleased  to  bestow;  as  the 
only  way  of  extracting  from  them  such  happiness  as  they  are  fitted 
to  yield:  the  only  way  of  at  all  redeeming  them  from  the  charge 
of  utter  "vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit." 

Verses  16,  17.  When  I  applied  my  heart  to  know  unsdom,  and  to 
nee  the  business  that  is  done  upon  the  earth;  {for  also  there  is  that 
neither  day  nor  night  seeth  sleep  with  his  eyes:)  then  I  beheld  all  the 
work  of  God,  that  a  man  cannot  find  out  the  work  that  is  done  under 
the  sun:  because  though  a  7na,n  lahor  to  seek  it  ovt,  yet  shall  he  not 
find  it;  yea,  further,  though  a  wise  man  seek  to  know  it,  yd  shall  /e 
not  be  able  to  find  it. 

These  verses  express  the  difficulties  which  Solomon  experienced; 
the  inextricable  perplexities  in  which  he  found  himself  involved; 
in  one  department,  especially,  of  his  researches  after  knowledge: 
in  observing  the  labors  of  men,  in  connection  with  the  providence 
of  God.  In  the  sixteenth  verse,  "  the  business  done  under  the 
sun  "  refers  to  the  toil  and  travail  of  mankind,  in  all  its  endless 
varieties.  In  contemplating  these,  he  observed  tne  mystery  of 
providence.  He  saw  that  success  was  far  from  being  uniformly 
proportioned  to  the  measure  of  human  diligence,  solicitude,  and 
skill.  He  saw  many,  "rising  early,  and  sitting  late,  and  eating 
the  bread  of  carefulness ;"  "neither  day  nor  night  seeing  sleep  with 
their  eyes,"  through  plodding  eagerness  for  the  acquisition  of  pro- 
perty, or  anxious  fears  about  its  safety.  And  yet  their  days  of 
toil  and  nights  of  sleeplessness  were  vain;  success  and  security 
depending  upon  God:  for  "except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they 
labor  in  vain  that  build  it;  except  the  Lord  keep  the  city,  the 
watchman  waketh  in  vain." — And  then,  the  procedure  of  God,  in 
reference  to  the  works  and  ways  of  men,  was  "a  great  deep;"  full 
of  mystery ;  to  the  eye  of  the  human  observer,  a[)pearing  to  be 
regulated  by  no  fixed  principles;  no  labor,  no  discretion,  no  charac- 
ter, affording  any  assurance  of  prosperity;  but  circumstances  over 
which  the  sagacity  of  man  could  have  no  control,  in  innumerable 
iuHtances,  and  at  times  in  a  manner  the  most  marvellous  and  con- 


EOCLESIASTES   VIII.   9-17.  287 

founding,  crossing  the  path,  arresting  the  progress,  and  frustrating 
the  purposes  and  hopes,  of  those  who  bade  fairest  for  success ;  and 
giving  that  success  to  others  to  whom  no  one  supposed  it  possi- 
ble, and  who  hardly,  even  in  self-flattery,  expected  it  themselves. 
All  was  wonder  and  perplexity, — beyond  the  penetration  of  the 
most  profound  observer,  though  applying  to  the  subject  the  closest 
and  most  unwearied  attention: — 

"  Though  a  man  labor  to  seek  it  out,  yet  he  shall  not  find  it ; 
yea,  further,  though  a  wise  man  think  to  know  it,  yet  shall  he 
not  be  able  to  find  it."  To  every  view  he  can  take  of  "the  work 
of  God," — to  every  hypothesis  he  can  frame  with  regard  to  the 
principle  of  his  providential  government,  difficulties  present  them- 
selves, and  exceptions  and  anomalies,  which  he  cannot  explain. 
The  hypothesis  that  accounts  satisfactorily  for  one  event,  seems  to 
be  contradicted  by  another;  circumstances  which  to  him  appear 
to  be  similar,  and  to  warrant  similar  expectations,  terminating, 
not  unfrequently,  in  opposite  results;  and  on  the  contrary,  trains 
of  events,  and  courses  of  conduct  the  most  unlike  each  other,  some- 
times conducting  to  the  same  issues;  to  riches,  or  to  poverty, — 
to  honor,  or  to  shame.  That  it  is  to  the  mystery  of  providence, 
ia  its  superintendence  over  the  affairs  of  men ;  over  "all  the  busi- 
ness that  is  done  under  the  sun;"  that  Solomon  refers,  will  be 
very  evident  when  we  come  to  show,  in  next  lecture,  the  connec- 
tion between  theend  of  this  chapter  and  the  beginning  of  the  ninth; 
and  the  manner  in  which  he  there  exemplifies  and  illustrates  the 
sentiment  he  had  here  expressed. 

1.  In  the  mean  time,  observe,  in  the  first  place,  from  the  verses 
that  have  now  been  expounded : — There  are  instances,  in  which 
the  possession  of  power,  authority,  and  dominion,  dazzling  as  it 
may  be  to  the  imagination,  is  yet  more  to  be  pitied  than  envied. 
It  is  so,  surely,  when  a  man  "rules  over  others  to  his  own  hurt:" 
and  every  man  thus  rules,  who  perverts  and  abuses  his  power  to 
the  purposes  of  oppression  and  selfishness.  The  splendor  of  such 
power  can  be  admifed  by  fools  alone.  It  is  the  splendor  of  a  con- 
suming fire,  at  which  children  may  laugh  and  clap  their  hands 
with  delight,  reckless  of  the  mischief  it  is  spreading  around,  but 
which  more  thoughtful  spectators  will  contemplate  with  grief  and 
horror.  The  fire  will  at  length  devour  him  who  has  kindled  it, 
;ind  who  exulted  in  its  devastations.     Perverted  power  will  come 


288  LECTURE  XVI. 

back,  with  fearful  recoil,  upon  its  unprincipled  perverter.  What- 
ever may  be  its  present  effects  to  the  cruel  oppressor,  or  the  vain- 
glorious ruler,  it  must,  in  the  end,  be  **  to  his  own  hurt,"  when 
"the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,"  the  Sovereign  Judge  of 
all,  shall  call  him  to  his  reckoning.  This  shall  be  found  especially 
true  of  the  persecuting  powers  of  this  world,  who  have  directed 
their  violence  against  the  church  of  God,  and  by  sanguinary  edicts, 
by  bonds  and  imprisonments,  by  swords,  and  racks,  and  flames, 
have  sought  its  extermination.  The  persecuted  have  been  the 
compassionated  party.  They  still  are,  when  their  suiferings  are 
read  in  history.  Yet  the  persecutors  are  infinitely  more  to  be 
pitied  than  they.  From  the  beginning  until  now,  the  voice  of  the 
blood  which  they  have  shed  has  "cried  against  them  from  the 
ground,"  and  has  "entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth." 
The  retributive  justice  of  God  has  many  a  time,  even  in  this  world, 
given  them  blood  to  drink;  in  the  cup  which  they  have  filled, 
filling  to  them  double:  and  "true  and  righteous  have  been  his 
judgments."  And,  oh!  should  they  escape  his  vengeance  here, 
what  an  account  have  they  to  give  to  Him  who  hath  said  of  his 
people,  the  objects  of  his  love,  "He  that  toucheth  you,  toucheth 
the  apple  of  his  eye  !"  Zech.  ii.  8.  The  victims  of  their  fury  they 
have  "chased  up  to  heaven;"  whilst  for  themselves,  it  will  be 
found,  they  have  been  preparing  a  place  in  hell.  Envy  not,  then, 
such  power.  Prefer  being  its  victim  to  being  its  possessor.  Be 
burned  at  the  stake,  rather  than  kindle  it.  "The. memory  of  the 
just  is  blessed,  but  the  name  of  the  wicked  shall  rot."  And  how 
unenviable  is  the  man,  who  on  earth  is  execrated  while  remem- 
bered, and  as  soon  as  possible  is  forgotten ;  and  whose  crimes  are 
registered  in  heaven,  and  kept  from  oblivion  there,  to  cover  him 
in  tlie  end  with  "shame  and  everlasting  contempt!" 

2.  Secondly;  We  have  been  considering  the  delay  of  punish- 
ment; the  patience  and  forbearance  of  God:  and  we  have  illus- 
trated a  little  the  effect  of  this  on  human  depravity, — the  use  that 
men  actually  make  of  it,  as  an  encouragement  to  boldness  in  sin. 
Let  me  press  a  little  upon  your  attention  its  proper  and  legitimate 
effect, — the  use  that  men  ought  to  make  of  it. 

Instead  of  lulling  in  security,  it  ought  to  alarm ; — instead  of 
emboldening  to  sin,  it  should  melt  to  penitential  sorrow. 

In  the  first  place: — instead  of  lulling  in  security,  it  ought  to 


ECCLESIASTES   VIII.    9-17.  289 

alarm.  To  make  good  this  observation,  I  shall  endeavor  to  show 
you,  that  the  Divine  forbearance  and  long-suffering,  so  far  from 
being  a  proof  that  God  thinks  lightly  of  sin,  affords  convincing 
and  impressive  evidence  of  the  contrary. 

(1.)  First  of  all,  we  should  recollect  that  by  the  patience  of  God 
there  is  no  alteration  produced  in  the  nature  of  sin.  There  is  in 
sin  itself  an  intrinsic  malignity  that  remains  immutably  the  same. 
There  is  in  it  a  contrariety  to  the  holiness,  an  opposition  to  the 
authority,  an  ingratitude  for  the  unparelleled  kindness,  and  au 
affront  to  the  sacred  majesty,  of  the  infinite  God, — as  well  as  a 
universal  wrong  done  by  it  to  creation,  whose  happiness  it  tends 
to  destroy, — that  must  render  it,  in  all  its  kinds  and  in  all  its  de- 
grees, in  all  places  and  at  all  times,  hateful  in  his  sight.  I-t  is  in 
the  nature  of  things  impossible  that  He  should  ever  look  upon  it 
with  in  difference.  This  should  be  a  settled  conviction  in  all  our 
minds,  and  every  thing  that  may  seem  opposed  to  it,  we  should  rest 
perfectly  assured,  has  nothing  of  inconsistency  but  the  appearance. 

(2.)  It  does  not  at  all  follow  that  the  provocation  of  Deity  is  small, 
because  he  does  not  instantly  express  it  in  action.  His  anger  is 
not  like  that  of  his  creatures.  Men,  when  provoked  by  any  injury 
done  to  them,  are  ready  to  kindle  immediately  into  a  transport  of 
passion,  and  to  indulge  their  resentment  in  word  and  in  deed. 
But  God  is  infinitely  above  being  affected  in  this  manner.  He 
punishes  sin,  not  from  j^assion  at  the  harm  he  sustains: — for  "if 
thou  sinnest,  what  doest  thou  against  him?  or  if  thy  transgres- 
sions be  multiplied,  what  doest  thou  unto  him  ?" — but  because  it 
is  right  and  necessary  that  sin  should  be  punished.  With  a 
composure  undisturbed  by  the  swellings  and  out-breakings  of 
human  pride  and  impiety;  unmoved  by  the  scornful  taunts,  and 
bitter  blasphemies,  and  daring  outrages  of  the  ungodly;  he  fixes 
his  own  time  for  "bringing  it  into  judgment."  That  time  may 
by  distant.  But  O  beware  of  fancying,  because  the  execution  of 
his  anger  is  not  immediate,  the  anger  itself  cannot  be  severe :  for — 

(3.)  It  is  an  evidence  that  it  is  severe,  and  that  the  expression 
of  it  at  last  will  be  more  aggravated.  What,  think  you,  is  the 
real  reason  why  God  suspends  the  execution  of  his  sentence,  and 
"bears  long"  with  the  condemned  offender?  Hear  Himself,  in 
answer  to  the  question : — "  Say  unto  them,  As  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  I  have, no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  Avickcd,  but 
19 


290  LECTURE  XYI. 

rather  tliat  the  wicked  turn  unto  me,  and  live:  turn  ye,  turn  ye; 
for  why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel?"  Now,  why  this  solem- 
nity of  asseveration? — why  this  tenderness  of  persuasion? — why 
this  energy  of  expostulation  and  entreaty? — why  does  he  lift  up 
his  hand  to  heaven,  and  add  his  oath  to  his  word?  Surely  the 
death  that  the  sinner  must  die  can  be  no  light  or  trivial  evil,  when 
the  God  of  mercy  and  truth  is  thus  in  earnest  in  warning  him 
against  it.  Why  does  He  spare  his  offending  creatures  from  day 
to  day?  Is  it  that  he  has  pleasure  in  sin,  or  complacency  in  sin- 
ners? No.  The  reason  is,  that  he  knows  the  full  measure  of  the 
sinfulness  of  sin,  and  knows  the  fearful  nature  of  its  eternal  con- 
sequences. He  waits  to  be  gracious.  He  warns,  he  threatens,  he 
entreats,  by  his  word,  and  by  his  providence;  and  his  warnings, 
and  threatenings,  and  entreaties,  are  all  of  them  the  utterance  of 
mercy.  Like  a  parent,  when  he  has  denounced  a  severe  but  de- 
sorvcd  punishment;  a  punishment  that  must  be  executed  if  there 
is  not  repentance,  humiliation,  and  confession : — in  proportion  to 
its  severity,  he  lingers  to  inflict  it;  he  tries  every  method  he  can 
think  of,  to  gain  his  end  without  proceeding  to  extremities, — for 
*^his  bowels  yearn  over  his  son.''  If  we  saw  a  parent  thus  delaying 
the  stroke;  exhausting  all  the  arts  of  authority  and  love;  his 
heart  wrung  with  anguish,  and  still  failing  him  when  the  moment 
of  infliction  approaches; — we  should  conclude,  that  the  punishment 
thus  suspended  must  be  a  heavy  one.  The  same  is  the  inferen(,'e 
which  men  should  draw  from  the  long-suffering  of  God. 

(4.)  Delay  amongst  men  may  lessen  certainty,  leaving  room  for 
escape,  and  for  the  loss  of  opportunity  and  ability  to  eftect  their 
threatenings.  But  it  cannot  be  so  v/ith  God.  We  have  seen  how 
strongly  this  is  affirmed  in  the  verses  we  have  been  expounding. 
^'Though  the  sinner  do  evil  a  hundred  times,  and  his  days  be 
prolonged, — yet  surely  it  shall  not  be  well  with  him." — "His 
judgment  lingereth  not;  his  damnation  slumbereth  not." — "One 
day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years 
as  one  day."  And  when  sinners  flatter  themselves  with  their  own 
delusions,  and  "say  in  their  hearts,  God  will  not  require  it,"  their 
destruction,  from  being  thus  unanticipated,  will  only  come  upon 
them  v/itli  the  more  overwhelming  violence; — "When  they  shall 
•say,  peace  and  safety,  then  sudden  destruction  cometh  upon  them, 
as  travail  upon  a  woman  with  child,  and  they  shall  not  esca]>e." 


ECCLESTASTES  VIII.  9-17.  291 

(5.)  Ill  the  very  perversion  and  abuse  itself  of  Divine  forbear- 
ance, there  is  a  fearful  aggravation  of  criminality,  which  will  be 
added  to  the  guilt  of  every  sin  to  which  it  has  afforded  encourage- 
ment; and  will  form  a  heavy  addition  to  the  general  grounds 
of  condemnation.  Mark  how  the  inspired  apostle  speaks  of  it. 
The  disregard  of  God's  goodness  and  long-suffering  is,  according 
to  him,  nothing  less  than  a  '"treasuring  up  of  wrath,  against  the 
day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God." 
Rom.  ii.  5. 

Let  the  patience  of  God,  then,  alarm  you,  "ye  careless  ones," 
instead  of  flattering  and  deceiving  you.  "vSet  not  your  hearts  in 
you  to  do  evil;"  but  rather  "cease  to  do  evil,  and  learn  to  do 
well." 

I  noticed,  as  a  second  legitimate  effect  of  the  suspension  of  ven- 
geance, that  it  ought  to  melt  you  to  penitential  sorrow.  An  act  oi 
unexpected  clemency  has  sometimes,  in  human  experience,  had 
the  effect  of  softening  a  heart,  which  all  the  terrors  of  judicial  se- 
verity had  been  unable  to  move.  Let  sinners,  then,  consider  the 
following  things : — 

(1.)  God  has  no  personal  interest  to  serve,  in  sparing  you.  A 
judge  amongst  men,  after  he  has  pronounced  the  sentence,  may 
be  afraid  to  inflict  the  punishment.  The  prisoner  may  be  in  cir- 
cumstances that  render  it  hazardous:  or  the  judge  may  expect 
some  advantage'  to  himself  from  his  lenity.  But  with  God  there 
can  be  neither  the  fear  of  evil,  nor  the  hope  of  good,  from  his 
offending  creatures.  In  proportion  as  a  criminal  perceives  that 
the  clemency  of  his  judge  is  cither  extorted  by  dread  of  conse- 
quences, or  even  by  considerations  of  interest,  it  will  fail  to  have 
upon  him  any  subduing  or  melting  influence :  it  will  only  inspire 
contempt.  But,  as  the  Supreme  Judge  is  infinitely  independent 
of  his  creatures;  as  his  acts  of  clemency  and  of  sparing  mercy  are 
entirely  disinterested, — in  no  respect  for  his  own,  but  all  for  the 
poor  offender's  sake;  ought  not  his  patient  forbearance  to  melt 
the  sinner  to  contrition,  instead  of  hardening  him  in  rebellion? 
Say  not,  your  continued  transgression  can  do  him  no  harm.  It  is 
most  true.  The  infinite  God  sustain  damage  from  a  creature !  or 
l)e  ultimately  bereft  of  the  smallest  portion  of  his  glory  by  a  crea- 
ture! It  were  blasphemy  to  suppose  it.  That  is  a  gratification 
which  neither  the  malignity  of  earth  or  hell  can  ever  o])tnin.  "Ii 


292  LECTURE    XVI. 

thou  siunest,  what  doest  thou  against  hiui?  or  if  thy  transgres- 
sions be  multiplied;  what  doest  thou  unto  him  ?  If  thou  be  righ- 
teous, what  givest  thou  him?  or  what  receiveth  he  of  thy  hand? 
Thy  wickedness  may  hurt  a  man  as  thou  art;  and  thy  righ- 
teousness may  profit  the  son  of  man."  But  ought  not  this  very 
indej^endence  of  Deity  to  convince  you,  that  it  is  for  your  own 
sakes  alone  that  he  exercises  towards  you  his  forbearing  clemency? 
And  should  not  this  give  an  overcoming  power  to  his  warnings, 
as  the  dictates  of  compassionate  kindness? 

(2.)  God  is  under  no  obligation  to  spare  you; — no,  not  for  a  mo- 
ment. He  might  in  justice  noto  cut  you  oif;  and  he  might  have 
done  it  long  since,  and  have  consigned  you  to  merited  perdition. 
And  what  he  in  justice  might  have  done,  he  has  never  Avanted 
2)ower  to  do.  You  are  not  spared  because  he  cannot  destroy  you. 
He  could,  in  one  moment  of  time,  sweep  off  into  irremediable 
destruction  every  individual  of  his  sinning  creatures;  and  give 
existence  to  a  new  and  better  race,  who  should  love,  and  fear,  and 
serve,  and  honor  him.  But  instead  of  this,  he  is  pleased  to  call 
sinners  to  repentance;  to  invite  them  back  to  hi'mself;  to  hold 
out  to  them,  through  the  mediation  of  his  Son,  the  sceptre  of  mercy ; 
and  to  give  them  time  to  hear  his  voice,  and  to  turn  from  their 
ways  and  live.     O  think,  then, — 

(3.)  What  base  ingratitude  there  is,  in  abusing  this  wonderful, 
this  unmerited,  this  free  and  disinterested  kindness  of  God.  N^ay, 
ingratitude  is  too  gentle  a  term.  There  is  not  a  word  in  language 
sufficiently  strong  to  express  the  hellish  malignity  of  such  con- 
duct, or  to  convey  any  adequate  idea  of  its  inexpressible  odious- 
uess.  AVhat  would  you  think  of  the  man,  who  should  derive  en- 
couragement from  the  very  kindness  of  a  benefactor,  to  neglect 
him  and  to  do  him  injury?  What  do  you  think  of  the  unnatural 
child,  whom  the  very  tenderness  of  his  father  encourages  to  dis- 
obey and  insult  hl1»?  Yet  this  is  what  sinners  do,  when,  from 
the  merciful  suspension  of  punishment,  their  "hearts  are  set  in  them 
to  do  evil:"  only,  the  obligations  which  they  violate  are  infinitely 
higher.  God  is  good  and  kind  to  them  amidst  all  their  rebellion : 
he  sustains  every  moment  the  life  which  they  are  emj^loying  against 
himself.  Yet,  instead  of  the  thought  of  his  goodness  breaking 
and  changing  their  hearts,  the  very  experience  they  have  liad  of  it, 
and  the  hope  of  its  continuance,  are  the  considerations  which  cheer 


ECCLESIASTES    VIJI.  9-17.  293 

them  on  in  their  career  of  ungodliness.  What  think  you  of  this? — 
of  trying  the  patience  of  God  further,  because  we  have  found  it  to 
be  great ! — of  sinning  against  him  with  a  high  hand,  because  we 
know  him  to  be  "slow  to  anger!" — of  blaspheming  and  insulting 
him,  because  he  does  not  instantly  revenge  the  insult  and  the 
blasphemy ! — of  hardening  our  spirits  in  impious  opposition,  on 
account  of  that  very  mercy  which  ought  to  soften,  and  conciliate, 
and  subdue  them ! — of  persisting  to  trample  on  his  authority  and 
laws,  because  he  himself  has  assured  us,  that  he  is  ready  to  for- 
give! O,  my  friends,  how  unnatural,  how  monstrous  is  this! 
Surely  the  very  thought,  that  you  should  have  been  guilty  of  any 
thing  even  approaching  to  it,  should  wring  your  hearts  with  the 
bitterness  of  shame  and  grief;  should  bring  you  to  his  feet  in  tears 
of  penitential  sorrow ;  and  constrain  you  to  give  yourselves  up 
henceforth  to  him  from  whom  you  have  revolted,  and  with  b«dy, 
soul,  and  spirit,  to  serve  him, — "redeeming  the  time." 

3.  Thirdly;  Let  me  conclude  with  a  single  word  of  admonition 
to  Christians: — and  it  shall  be  conveyed  in  the  language  of  their 
Lord  himself.  It  is,  to  beware  of  the  temptation  which  even  to 
them  the  seeming  delay  of  judgment  presents; — a  temptation  to 
forgetfulness,  to  unbelief,  to  negligence,  and  to  apostasy ; — "Watch, 
therefore ;  for  ye  know  not  what  hour  your  Lord  doth  come.  But 
know  this,  that  if  the  goodman  of  the  house  had  known  in  what 
watch  the  thief  would  come,  he  would  have  watched,  and  would 
not  have  suifered  his  house  to  be  broken  up.  Therefore  be  ye 
also  ready :  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not  the  Son  of  man 
Cometh.  Who  then  is  a  faithful  and  wise  servant,  whom  his  lord 
hath  made  ruler  over  his  household,  to  give  them  meat  in  due 
season"?  Blessed  is  that  servant  whom  his  lord,  when  he  cometh, 
shall  find  so  doing.  Verily  I  say  unto  you.  That  he  shall  make 
him  ruler  over  all  his  goods.  But  and  if  that  evil  servant  shall 
say  in  his  heart.  My  lord  delayeth  his  coming;  and  shall  begin 
to  smite  his  fellow-servants,  and  to  eat  and  drink  with  the  drunken ; 
the  lord  of  that  servant  shall  come  in  a  day  when  he  looketh  not 
for  him,  and  in  an  hour  that  he  is  not  aware  of,  and  shall  cut  him 
asunder,  and  appoint  him  his  portion  with  the  hypocrites :  there 
shall  be  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth."  Matt.  xxiv.  42-51. 


LECTURE  XVII. 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10. 

"For  all  this  I  considered  in  my  heart,  even  to  declare  all  this,  that  the  righteous, 
and  the  wise,  and  their  works,  (are)  in  the  hand  of  God:  no  man  knoweth 
either  love  or  hatred  (by)  (all  that  is)  before  them.  2.  All  (things  come) 
alike  to  all:  (there  is)  one  event  to  the  righteous,  and  to  the  Avicked;  to  the 
good,  and  to  the  clean,  and  to  the  unclean ;  to  him  that  sacrificeth,  and  to  him 
that  sacrificeth  not :  as  (is)  the  good,  so  (is)  the  sinner ;  (and)  he  that  swear- 
eth,  as  (he)  that  feareth  an  oath.  3.  This  (is)  an  evil  among  all  (things) 
that  are  done  under  the  sun,  that  (there  is)  one  event  unto  all:  yea,  also  the 
heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  full  of  evil,  and  madness  (is)  in  their  heart 
while  they  live,  and  after  that  (they  go)  to  the  dead.  4.  For  to  him  that 
is  joined  to  all  the  living  there  is  hope  :  for  a  living  dog  is  better  than  a 
dead  lion.  5.  For  the  living  know  that  they  shall  die :  but  the  dead  know 
not  any  thing,  neither  have  they  any  more  a  reward ;  for  the  memory  of 
them  is  forgotten.  6.  Also  their  love,  and  their  hatred,  and  their  envy,  is 
now  perished ;  neither  have  they  any  more  a  portion  for  ever  in  any  (thing) 
that  is  done  under  the  sun.  7.  Go  thy  way,  eat  thy  bread  with  joy, 
and  drink  thy  wine  with  a  merry  heart;  for  God  now  accepteth  thy  works. 

8.  Let  thy  garments  be  always  white ;  and  let  thy  head  lack  no  ointment. 

9.  Live  joyfully  with  the  wife  whom  thou  lovest  all  the  days  of  the  life  of 
thy  vanity,  which  he  hath  given  thee  under  the  .sun,  all  the  days  of  thy 
vanity:  for  that  (is)  thy  portion  in  (this)  life,  and  in  thy  labor  which  thou 
takest  under  the  sun.  10.  Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  (it)  with 
thy  might;  for  (there  is)  no  work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom, 
in  the  grave,  whither  thou  goest." 

Verse  1.  For  all  this  I  considered  in  my  heart,  even  to  declare  all 
this,  that  the  righteous,  and  the  icise,  and  their  works,  are  in  the  hand 
of  God:  no  man  hioweth  either  love  or  hatred  hy  all  that  is  before 
them.. 

In  the  close  of  the  former  chapter,  we  found  Solomon  declaring 
the  unsearchgbleness  of  "  the  work  of  God/'  or  the  conduct  of  his 
providence  toward  the  children  of  men,  even  by  the  jjenetration 
of  the  acutest  and  most  experienced  minds.  This  he  confirms  by  a 
reference  to  his  own  want  of  success  in  all  his  endeavors  to  fatliom 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10.  295 

the  mystery;  although  he  was  cue  to  whom  God  had  given  "wis- 
dom and  understanding,  and  largeness  of  heart,  even  as  the  sand 
on  the  sea-shore."  He  was  earnestly  desirous  to  have  understood 
and  explained  it;  but  after  "considering  in  his  heart"  for  this 
purpose,  all  that  he  could  with  certainty  declare  was,  the  exis- 
tence of  the  fact,  and  the  necessity  of  leaving  all,  Avith  believing 
submission,  in  the  hand  of  God: — "For  all  this  Iconsided  in  my 
heart,  even  to  declare  all  this, — that  the  righteous  and  the  wise,. 
and  their  works,  are  in  the  hand  of  God ;" — in  the  hand  of  Him 
who  is  infinitely  just,  infinitely  Avise,  and  infinitely  good.  Though 
his  providence  does  present  a  mystery  to  our  limited  faculties,  yet 
he  is  not  forgetful  of  those  who  fear  him.  They  and  their  Avorks 
are  neither  unknown  nor  unregarded:  and  he  will  one  day  make 
it  fully  manifest,  that  his  whole  procedure  has  perfectly  accorded 
with  his  character,  as  "  the  righteous  Lord  who  loveth  righteous- 
ness, and  whose  countenance  beholdeth  the  upright."  They  them- 
selves are  under  his  special  and  unremitting  care: — his  eye  is  ever 
upon  them ;  his  ear  is  open  to  their  cry :  and  "  their  works "  are 
remembered  by  him  for  good.  "They  that  feared  the  Lord  spake 
often  one  to  another;  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and  heard;  and  a 
book  of  remembrance  was  written  before  him  for  them  that  feared 
the  Lord,  and  that  thought  upon  his  name.  And  they  shall  be 
mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  day  Avhen  I  make  up  my 
jewels;  and  I  will  spare  them,  as  a  man  spareth  his  own  son  that 
serveth  him.  Then  shall  ye  return,  and  discern  between  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked ;  between  him  that  serveth  God,  and 
him  that  serveth  him  not."  Mai.  iii.  16-18. 

But,  however  confident  we  may  be  of  this  distinction  being  ever 
present  to  the  Divine  mind,  yet,  in  the  general  administration 
of  Providence  in  the  distribution  of  temporal  good  and  evil, 
it  often  seems  as  if  it  were  forgotten;  so  that,  as  it  is  here  ex- 
pressed, "no  man  knoweth  either  love  or  hatred  by  all  that  is 
before  them."  As  there  is  no  description  or  degree  of  temporal 
prosperity  with  which  wicked  men  are  not  favored,  and  hardly 
any  kind  or  measure  of  adversity  to  which  good  men  are  not  a:- 
times  subjected,  no  man  can  discover,  from  his  external  condition 
merely,  the  state  of  the  Divine  affection  towards  him,  whether  he 
be  an  object  of  the  love  of  God,  or  of  the  contrary;  the  good  and 
the  evil  of  life  coming  alternately  in  the  lot  of  all, — the  gourd  or' 


296  LECTURE    XVII. 

earthly  comfort  flourishing  one  day  and  blasted  the  next,  in  the 
experience  of  men  of  every  description  of  character.  This  senti- 
ment is  more  fully  brought  out,  in 

Verse  2.  All  things  come  alike  to  all;  there  is  one  event  to  the 
righteous,  and  to  the  wicked;  to  the  good,  and  to  the  clean,  and  to 
Hie  unclean;  to  him  that  sacrtficeth,  and  to  him  that  sacrificeth  not: 
as  is  the  good,  so  is  the  sinner;  and  he  that  sioeareth,  as  he  thatfeareth 
an  oath. 

"The  clean,''''  are  evidently  those  who  were  not  merely  atten- 
tive to  keep  themselves  free  from  ceremonial  pollution,  but  who 
were  "pure  in  heart," — renewed  and  sanctified  in  the  spirit  of 
their  minds;  and  "the  unclean,^'  those  who  were  destitute  of  this 
inward  purity,  and  who  might,  at  the  same  time,  show  their  dis- 
regard of  God,  by  carelessness  about  the  contraction  or  the  removal 
of  legal  defilement.  By  "him  who  sacrificeth,  and  him  who  sacri- 
ficeth not,"  we  understand,  the  man,  on  the  one  hand,  who  is  con- 
scientious and  regular  in  the  discharge  of  religious  duties,  and,  on 
the  other,  the  man  who  entirely  neglects  them,  and  lives  "with- 
out God  in  the  world;" — the  pious  worshipjier,  and  the  atheistical 
despiscr  of  all  devotion.  "There  is  one  event,"  says  Solomon,  to 
tliese  opposite  characters  : — one  event,  in  life; — "all  things,"  with 
regard  to  the  measure  of  prosperity  and  adversity,  of  the  cares  and 
joys,  the  hopes  and  fears,  the  gratifications  and  disappointments 
of  life,  "coming  alike  to  all:" — one  event  in  death; — not  indeed 
as  to  its  solemn  and  eternal  consequences,  nor  even  as  to  the  state 
of  mind  with  which  its  approach  is  anticipated,  and  its  arrival 
met ;  but  as  to  all  the  external  circumstances  and  corporeal  eifects 
of  it;  no  distemper  coming  upon  the  wicked  (with  the  exception, 
indeed,  of  those  which  are  the  immediate  product  of  particular 
vices)  to  which  the  righteous  are  not  also  liable;  no  degree  of  pain 
or  of  any  attendant  evils  afflicting  the  one,  which  may  not  like- 
wise distress  the  other;  and  no  loathsome  taint  of  corruption  in- 
vading the  body  of  the  one,  that  does  not  equally  prey  upon  and 
consume  that  of  the  other.  In  these  respects,  "as  is  the  good,  so 
is  the  sinner;  and  he  that  sweareth,  as  he  that  feareth  an  oath." 
^^ Swearing,"  being  here  opposed  to  "fearing  an  oath,"  must,  of 
course,  mean  swearing  lightly  and  fcdsely ;  and  "fearing  an  oath" 
is  taking  it  with  solemnity,  and  keeping  it  with  fidelity,  under  a 
deep  impression  of  the  evil  of  profaning  the  great  and  dreadful 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10.  297 

name  to  which  the  appeal  is  made.  In  such  a  conuectiou,  the  fear 
of  an  oath  is  the  fear  of  God :  "Thou  shalt/m/-  the  Loed  thy  God; 
him  shalt  thou  serve,  and  to  liim  shalt  thou  cleave,  and  srccar  bj/ 
his  Kame."  Deut.  x.  20. 

Such  being  the  state  of  the  fact,  as  to  the  providential  allot- 
ments of  temporal  good  and  evil,  the  observation  of  it  has  at  times 
proved  a  strong  and  distressing  temptation  to  the  children  of  God, 
to. doubt  and  question  the  reality  of  His  superintendence  over 
the  affairs  of  men.  Such  a  state  of  temptation  Asaph  affectingly 
describes  in  the  seventy-third  Psalm.  His  "feet  were  almost 
gone,"  his  "  steps  had  well  nigh  slipped  :"  for  he  was  "  envious  at 
the  foolish,  when  he  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked."  He  had 
not  merely  observed  an  indiscriminate  mixture  in  the  lot  of  good 
and  evil  men,  but  in  some  instances  which  had  come  particularly 
under  his  notice,  there  w^as  a  great  2>reponderance  of  prosperity  on 
tlie  side  of  the  latter.  Theirs  was  a  cup  of  rich  and  almost  un- 
mingled  sweetness,  whilst  a  full  cup  of  bitterness  was  "wrung  out'' 
for  the  other.  And  over  these  unaccountable  anomalies,  as  they 
seemed  to  him  to  be,  he  brooded  in  agonizing  perplexity  of  spirit, 
till  his  mind  was  giving  way  to  scepticism,  and  drawing  to  the 
very  borders  of  apostasy  and  atheism.  He  said,  "How  doth  God 
know?  and  is  there  knowledge  in  the  most  High?"  The  prophet 
Jeremiah,  if  not  tempted  as  Asaph  was,  yet  expresses  a  similar 
feeling  of  difficulty  and  wonder: — "Righteous  art  thou,  O  Lord, 
when  I  plead  with  thee ;  yet  let  me  talk  with  thee  of  thy  judg- 
ments :  Wherefore  doth  the  way  of  the  wicked  prosper?  where- 
fore are  all  they  happy  that  deal  very  treacherously  ?  Thou  hast 
planted  them;  yea,  they  have  taken  root:  they  grow;  yea,  they 
bring  forth  fruit:  thou  art  near  in  their  mouth,  and  far  from  their 
reins."  Jer.  xii.  1,  2. 

Whilst  the  Divine  procedure  has  thus  perplexed  and  tempted 
the  minds  of  God's  people,  it  has,  on  the  contrary,  been  abused 
by  his  enemies  as  an  encouragement  to  perseverance  in  sin.  "They 
r>ay  unto  God,"  in  the  midst  of  their  prosperity,  "Depart  from 
us,  for  we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways.  AVhat  is  the 
Almighty,  that  we  should  serve  him?  and  what.profit  should  we 
have  if  we  pray  unto  him?"  Job  xxi.  14,  15,  whlw'.t|?€  preceding 
context. 


298  LECTURE    XVII. 

This  appears  to  be  the  sentiment  expressed  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  following  verse  : — 

Verse  3.  This  is  an  evil,  among  all  things  that  are  done  under  the 
sun,  that  there  is  one  event  unto  all:  yea,  also  the  heart  of  the  sons 
of  men  is  full  of  evil,  and  madness  is  in  their  heart  while  they  live; 
and  after  that  they  go  to  the  dead. 

The  heart  of  the  sons  of  men  is  by  nature  full  of  evil.  It  is 
"  enmity  against  God."  Its  "  imaginations  are  only  evil  continu- 
ally." It  is  "deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked." 
Out  of  it  "proceed  evil  thoughts,  adulteries,  fornications,  murders, 
thefts,  covetousness,  wickedness,  deceit,  lasciviousness,  an  evil  eye, 
balsphemy,  pride,  foolishness."  That  must  be  a  fearfully  polluted 
fountain  from  which  there  flow  so  many  foul  and  tainted  streams. 
Natural  conscience,  though  partaking  of  the  corruption  of  the  fall, 
and  very  deficient  and  partial,  very  treacherous  and  false,  in  the 
discharge  of  its  function,  has  yet  an  eifect  far  from  inconsiderable, 
along  with  the  apprehension  of  punishment  which  it  inspires,  in 
restraining  from  the  commission  of  iniquity  even  men  who  have 
uo  true  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes.  But  prosperity  in  sin  tends 
to  dissolve  even  this  restraint;  it  hardens  the  heart,  stifles  the 
voice  of  conscience,  it  silences  the  suggestions  of  fear,  and  drives 
a  man  on  to  a  frantic  wildness  in  the  gratification  of  his  passions 
and  desires: — "madness  is  in  their  heart  while  they  live." 

Every  act  of  sin,  being  an  act  of  rebellion  against  the  infinite 
God,  is  an  act  of  madness;  of  infatuated,  and  impotent,  and  self- 
destroying  frenzy : — for  "who  hath  hardened  himself  against  Him,, 
and"  finally  "prospered?"  All  worldliness  of  spirit,  being  a 
preference,  in  affection  and  pursuit,  of  temporal  to  eternal  things, 
is  madness;  far  beyond  the  derangement  of  the  maniac  who  throws 
away  gold  for  stones,  and  prefers  straws  to  pearls  and  jewels.  But 
the  expression,  "madness  is  in  their  heart,"  appears  from  the  con- 
nection rather  to  mean  that  wild  and  unthinking  boldness;  that 
forwardness,  and  hardihood,  and  licentious  extravagance  in  sin; 
which  arise  from  a  course  of  prosperity  in  it,  and  from  the  seem- 
ing distance  of  the  evil  day.  "  The  wicked,  through  the  pride  of 
his  countenance,  will  not  seek  after  God :  God  is  not  in  all  his 
thoughts.  His  ways  are  always  grievous;  thy  judgments  are  far 
above  out  of  his  sight:  as  for  all  liis  enemies,  he  puffeth  at  them. 
He  hath  said  in  liis  heart,  I  sliall  not  be  moved;  for  I  shall  never 


EUCLESlASTEy   IX.  1-10.  299^ 

be  in  adversity."  Fsalm  x.  4-G.  "How  much  she  hath  glorified 
herself  and  lived  deliciously,  so  much  torment  and  sorrow  give 
her:  for  she  saith  in  lier  heart,  I  sit  a  queen,  and  am  no  widow,^ 
and  shall  see  no  sorroAV."  Rev.  xviii.  7. 

How  a'wful  is  the  thought ! — "  madness  is  in  their  heart  while  they 
lice  J'  Intoxicated  by  success  in  sin,  they  persist  in  it  to  the  last; 
casting  off  the  fear  of  God,  and  "mad  upon  their  idols:" — and 
then — "after  that  they  go  to  the  dead!"  "The  dust  returns  to 
the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  to  God  who  gave  it :" — or  rather,, 
while  their  bodies  are  laid  in  the  grave,  to  be  food  for  the  worm 
of  corrujDtion,  their  souls  depart  to  the  "place  of  torment,"  to  join 
the  "  spirits  in  jirison,"  even  all  the  wicked  dead  who  had  left  the 
world  before  them !  Snch  is  their  melancholy  end ;  and  then  all 
is  over  with  them ; — settled  for  ever ; — their  time  of  mercy  gone : — 
they  are  beyond  the  reach  of  hope: — 

Verse  4.  For  to  him  that  is  joined  to  all  the  liciiig  there  /*•  liope  r 
for  a  living  clog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion. 

"  For  to  him  that  is  joined  to  all  the  living  there  is  hope :"  either^ 
hope  in  adverse  times  of  better  days  to  come;  or  rather,  as  the  con- 
nection intimates,  hope  with  respect  to  his  future  state, — his  slate 
after  death; — "  For  a  living  dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion;"  that  is, 
the  meanest  living  is  better  than  the  noblest  dead.  The  dog  was  not 
only  an  unclean  animal  by  the  Mosaic  law,  but,  being  greatly  des- 
pised amongst  the  Jews,  was  often  used  as  the  emblem  of  what  was 
despicable  and  v/orthless,  Of  all  appellations  that  of  a  dead  dog 
was  the  most  contemptuous ;  and  a  living  dog  was  not  much  better.  * 
The  lion,  again,  is  the  noblest  of  the  beasts  of  the  forest;  mighty, 
majestic,  royal;  he  "  turns  not  away  for  any."  The  meanest  living 
man  possesses  a  superiority  over  the  mightiest  dead,  in  having 
life  itself,  and  power,  and  consciousness,  and  feeling,  and  enjoy- 

*See  1  Sam.  xxiv.  14.  2  Sam.  ix.  8.  2  Kings  viii.  13.  In  this  last  passage, 
Hazael's  exclamation  of  surprise  should  probably  be  rendered,  "But  what  is 
thy  servant — a  mere  dog — that  he  should  do  this  great  thing?"  It  is  not  the 
olleness,  but  the  greatness  of  the  thing  he  speaks  of:  and  it  does  not  seem  to 
be  indignation  that  he  expresses,  at  being  supposed  to  possess  dispositions  for 
for  so  base  and  odious  a  work ;  but  astonlsliment  that  one  so  mean  and  of  so  little 
account  as  he  affects  to  call  himself,  should  be  deemed  competent  to  achieve 
KO  mighty  a  wox'k.  It  is  not  with  horror  he  startles,  according  to  the  common 
view  of  his  words,  like  one  unconscious  at  the  time,  of  the  propensities  of  his 
character,  and  not  believing  himself  capable  of  such  enormities: — it  is  rather 
the  start  of  an  agreeable  surprise ;  though  he  covers,  by  an  affected  humility, 
the  secret  pleasure  of  .on  aspiring  ambition. 


300  LECTURE  XVII. 

ment;  which  Avith  regard  to  the  dead,  viewed  in  their  relation  to 
this  world,  are  all  at  an  end,  whatever  their  power  and  eminence 
while  they  lived.  The  carcase  of  the  "king  of  beasts"  may  be 
carrion  to  the  vilest  and  most  worthless  dog  that  breathes.  The 
lowest  and  most  despised  subject  the  king  of  Assyria  had,  was  in 
these  respects  superior  to  his  fallen  master,  when  "his  pomp  was 
brought  down  to  the  grave,  and  the  noise  of  his  viols;  when  the 
worm  was  spread  under  him,  and  the  worms  covered  him."  The 
most  abject  wretch  might  then  stand  on  his  tomb,  and  say,  "How 
art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  O  Lucifer,  son  of  the  morning !  how 
art  thou  cut  down  to  the  ground,  that  didst  weaken  the  nations !" 
He  might  stamp  over  his  ashes,  and  insult  his  name: — no  ear 
startles  at  the  sound ;  no  eye  kindles ;  no  hand  stirs  to  grasp  the 
avenging  blade: — all  is  still  and  motionless: — "there  is  no  voice, 
nor  any  to  answer,  nor  any  that  regardeth." 

The  description,  in  the  third  verse,  of  the  "sons  of  men"  shows, 
that  under  that  designation  Solomon  does  not  include  those  whose 
liearts  have  been  changed  by  Divine  grace;  who  have  been  "deliv- 
ered from  this  present  evil  world;"  but  the  mass  of  mankind  in 
geiperal ;  that  part  of  the  race  which  has  ever,  alas !  been  the  great 
majority,  who  "walk  after  their  own  lusts,"  following  the  tenden- 
cies of  their  fallen  nature. — "To  him  that  is  joined  to  all  the  living, 
there  is  hope."  I  might  have  conceived  this  to  express  the  en- 
couragement, M'hich  wicked  men  derive  from  hope,  to  perseverance 
in  their  evil  courses,  and  even  in  their  maddest  indulgences ;  and 
"a  living  dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion,"  to  mean  the  unthinking 
exultation  of  such  men  in  the  continued  possession  of  life ;  theij- 
impious  vaunting  that  death  has  not  yet  made  them,  his  prey;  and 
their  high-spirited  determination  to  avail  themselves  of  life  while 
they  have  it.  But  the  connection  of  the  following  verses  inclines 
me  to  a  different  sense : — 

Verses  5,  6.  For  the  living  know  that  they  shall  die:  but  the  dead 
Jcnoic  not  any  thing,  neither  have  they  any  more  a  reward;  for  the 
memory  of  them  is  forgotten.  Also  their  love,  and  their  hatred,  and 
their  envy,  is  now  perished;  neither  have  they  any  more  a  portion  for 
ever  in  any  thing  that  is  done  under  the  sun. 

Whatever  encouragement  to  sin  the  wicked  might  derive  from 
their  hopes  of  prolonging  life,  and  even  from  their  illusory  prom- 
ises to  themselves  of  impunity  beyond  the  grave,  it  is  evident  they 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10.  301 

could  derivcn  one  from  "knowing  that  they  must  die;" — unless, 
indeed,  the  limitation  of  their  time  might  be  an  excitement  to 
them, — an  unhallowed  excitement, — to  make  the  most  of  it;  to 
drink  as  largely  as  they  may  of  the  cup  of  pleasure,  ere  the  hand 
of  Death  dash  it  from  their  lips : — and  this  is,  accordingly,  one  of 
the  favorite  themes  "in  the  song  of  fools,"  in  their  hours  of  jovial 
revelry. — I  am  disposed  to  think,  however,  that  Solomon  uses  the 
words  more  seriously.  "To  him  that  is  joined  to  all  the  living 
there  is  hope: — for  the  living  know  that  they  must  die."  To 
them,  death  is  yet  to  come.  The  solemn  prospect  is  still  before 
them ;  a  prospect  which  must  be  realized,  and  they  know  not  when. 
Till  the  event  has  taken  place,  we  cannot  pronounce  on  their  fu- 
ture doom.  While  there  is  life,  there  is  hope.  They  may  consider 
their  ways.  They  may  turn  to  the  Lord.  They  may  be  prepared 
for  their  latter  end,  and  for  meeting  their  God.  But  when  once 
the  dissolution  of  soul  and  body  has  taken  place, — all  is  over;  1^/e 
is  gone,  and  hope  with  it. 

A  variety  of  humbling  and  aifecting  views  are  then  set  before 
us,  of  the  termination  of  the  earthly  career  of  wicked  and  worldly 
men. 

First  Of  all  that  engaged  and  interested  their  attention  while 
they  lived,  their  knowledge  is  at  an  end.  Their  acquaintance 
with  every  thing  on  earth  has  closed: — "the  dead  know  not  any 
thing."  We  can  impart  to  them  no  intelligence  of  what  is  doing 
and  of  what  is  passing  here.  And  what  is  of  infinitely  weightier 
moment,  we  can  no  more  communicate  to  their  ear  the  tidings  of 
mercy;  the  knowledge  that  "maketli  wise  unto  salvation:" — 
"wisdom  at"  every  "entrance"  is  now  "quite  shut  out." 

Secondly.  "  They  have  had  their  reward."  Thus  Jesus  speaks 
of  those  who  valued  and  courted  the  praise  of  men,  rather  than 
the  praise  of  God.  And  thus  Solomon  here  speaks  of  such  as  have 
labored  after  this  world;  have  "laid  up  for  themselves  treasures 
upon  earth ;"  have  pursued  2)leasure,  or  wealth,  or  power,  or  glory, 
as  their  chief  good;  have  continued  to  live  in  carelessness  and 
sin: — "neither,"  says  he,  "have  they  any  more  a  reward:"  that 
is,  they  have  already  had  it.  And  when  they  have  plunged  them- 
selves into  irremediable  despair,  it  will  be  said  to  each  of  them, 
contrasting  their  state  with  that  of  the  poorest  and  most  despised 
and  afflicted  of  God's  children,  "Son,  remember,  that  thou  in  thy 


^02  LECTURE  XVII. 

lifetime  receivedst  thy  good  things,  and  likewise  Lazarus  evil 
things:  but  now,  he  is  comforted,  and  thou  art  tormented."  Luke 
xvi.  25. 

Thirdly.  They  have  not  even  posthumous  fame.  Whilst  their 
reward  on  earth  is  at  an  end,  and  their  sufferings  in  the  other 
world  are  commenced,  never  to  terminate ;  "  the  memory  of  them 
is  forgotten." — "As  the  cloud  is  consumed  and  vanisheth  away, 
so  he  that  goeth  down  to  the  grave  shall  come  up  no  more.  He 
shall  return  no  more  to  his  house,  neither  shall  his  place  know 
him  any  more."  We  had  the  same  circumstance  particularized 
in  the  preceding  chapter: — "I  saw  the  wicked  buried,  who  had 
come  and  gone  from  the  place  of  the  holy ;  and  they  were  for- 
gotten in  the  city  w^here  they  had  so  done." 

Fourthly.  They  are  utterly  impotent :  they  have  no  power  what- 
ever remaining,  either  to  profit  or  to  hurt,  and  are  neither  courted 
for  the  one,  nor  feared  for  the  other.  This  seems  to  be  the  idea 
chiefly  intended  by  their  "  love  and  their  hatred  and  their  envy 
having  now  j^erished."  Their  power  to  benefit  and  to  injure  is 
alike  gone.  The  objects  of  their  love  can  derive  from  it  no  ad- 
vantage, nor  can  the  victims  of  their  hatred  and  envy  sustain  from 
them  any  damage.  While  they  lived,  their  favor  might  be  courted, 
and  its  effects  desired ;  their  displeasure  deprecated ;  their  hatred 
and  envy  dreaded ;  the  consequences  of  them  anxiously  shunned. 
But  their  mere  names  have  no  charm  either  of  blessing  or  of  curse. 
The  ashes  of  the  grave  can  do  neither  evil  nor  good.  "There  the 
-wicked  cease  from  troubling." — "Put  not  your  trust  in  princes, 
nor  in  the  son  of  man,  in  whom  there  is  no  help.  His  breath 
goeth  forth ;  he  returneth  to  his  earth;  in  that  very  day  his  thoughts 
perish."  Job  iii.  17.    Psalm  cxlvi.  3,  4. 

Lastly.  Their  portion  of  enjoyment,  such  as  it  was,  is  gone  for 
ever.  They  "had  their  portion  in  this  life;"  Psalm  xvii.  14,  and 
when  this  life  comes  to  a  close,  it  is  necessarily  lost: — "neither 
have  they  any  more  a  portion  for  ever  in  any  thing  that  is  done 
under  the  sun."  While  they  lived,  they  had  a  portion  in  their 
own  labors,  under  the  sun;  but  now,  others  are  entered  into  their 
labors,  reaping  the  fruits  of  them,  and  striving  to  add  to  them. 
These  occupants  shall  be  followed  by  others.  But  they  them- 
selves shall  never  return  to  theii'  place.     Death  is  not  a  temporary 


ECCr.ESIASTES   IX.    l-lo.  303 

absence,  but  an  eternal  adien.  And  if  this  world  be  a  man's  por- 
tion, Avhen  lie  dies  it  is  for  ever  gone. 

Thus  the  conclusion  to  which  Solomon  comes,  and  his  solution 
of  the  difficulty  arising  from  the  prosperity  of  the  M'icked,  are 
very  similar  to  those  of  Asaph: — "When  I  thought  to  know  this, 
it  was  too  painful  for  me  ;  until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary  of  God; 
then  understood  I  their  end.  Surely  thou  didst  set  them  in  slippery 
places,  thou  castedst  them  down  into  destruction,  Hoav  are  they 
brought  into  desolation  as  in  a  moment!  they  are  utterly  con- 
sumed with  terrors.  As  a  dream  when  one  a-waketh,  so,  O  Lord, 
when  thou  awakest,  thou  shalt  despise  their  image.  Thus  my 
heart  was  grieved,  and  I  was  pricked  in  my  reins.  So  foolish 
was  I  and  ignorant;  I  was  as  a  beast  before  thee.  Nevertheless 
I  am  continually  with  thee:  thou  hast  holden  me  by  my  right 
hand."  Psalm  Ixxiii,  16-23.  And  as  the  Psalmist,  returning  to 
a  right  mind,  restored  to  confidence  in  God,  delights  himself  anew 
in  his  love  and  mercy,  saying,  in  the  spirit  of  self-devotion,  "Thou 
shalt  guide  me  by  thy  counsel,  and  afterward  receive  me  to  glory. 
Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee?  and  there  is  none  upon  earth 
whom  I  desire  in  comparison  of  thee :  my  flesh  and  my  heart  fail, 
but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart,  and  my  portion  for  ever ;" 
Psalm  Ixxiii.  24-26. — so  Solomon  here,  addressing  himself  to  the 
children  of  God,  exhorts  them  to  the  exercise  of  trust  and  joy: — 

Verse  7.  Go -thy  loay,  cat  thy  bread  with  joy,  and  drinJ:  thy  irinc 
ivith  a.  merry  heart;  for  God  noio  accepteth  thy  worh. 

Let  thy  mind  be  fully  assured,  notwithstanding  all  the  appear- 
ances of  the  contrary  that  have  disquieted  thy  spirit,  that  "the 
Lord  loveth  the  righteous."    Go  thy  way;  be  cheerful  and  happy. 

The  description  of  the  conduct  of  the  first  Christians,  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  affords  a  fine  exemplification  of  what  Solo- 
mon means  in  this  verse: — "Continuing  daily  v»-ith  one  accord  in 
the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from  house  to  house,  they  did  eat 
their  meat  with  gladness  and  singleness  of  lieart,  praising  God, 
and  having  fiivor  with  all  the  people."  Acts  ii.  46,  47.  The  same 
kind  of  joy  is  described  in  these  words  witli  that  recommended 
in  the  passage  before  us.  It  is  the  gladness  of  heart  that  springs 
from  a  sense  of  the  Divine  fiivor;  from  the  lifting  up  of  the  light 
of  God's  countenance. 

"God  noiv  accepteth  thy  works:" — ^yes — even  now,  in  the  midst 


304  LECTURE    XVII. 

of  all  these  difficulties  and  perplexing  appearances: — let  not  these 
shake  and  unsettle  your  mind : — even  now,  he  *'  loveth  righteous- 
ness, and  his  countenance  beholdeth  the  upright:" — he  regards 
their  works,  the  fruits  of  faith  and  love,  with  apjjroving  com- 
placency; and  he  will  at  last,  before  assembled  worlds,  manifest 
at  once  his  delight  in  his  people,  and  his  hatred  of  the  Morkers  of 
iniquity.     Therefore, 

Verse  8.  Let  thy  garments  be  alwuys  white,  and  let  thy  head  lack 
no  ointment. 

White  garments  were  worn  on  occasions  of  festive  joy.  Isaiaii 
speaks  of  the  "garment  of  praise"  being  given  to  "them  that 
mourn  in  Zion,"  instead  of  "the  spirit  of  heaviness;"  Isa.  Ixi.  8; 
and  perhaps  the  joy  of  the  saints  in  heaven  is  intended,  as  well  as 
their  justification  and  purity,  by  their  being  "clothed  in  white 
raiment."  This  idea  is  especially  countenanced  by  one  passage^ 
where,  besides  being  "clothed  with  white  robes,"  they  are  repre- 
sented as  having  "palms  in  their  hands," — the  palms  of  victory 
and  triumph, — and  as  "crying  with  a  loud  voice," — the  voice 
surely  of  exulting  gladness, — "  Salvation  to  our  God  who  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb!"  Rev.  iii.  4,  5.    vii.  9,  10. 

Anointing  with  oil,  and  with  fragrant  ointments,  was  also  a 
customary  practice,  to  which  there  are  various  allusions  in  other 
parts  of  Scripture.  It  was  not  only  performed  as  a  rite  of  official 
consecration;  it  was  one  of  the  daily  ceremonies  of  the  dressing 
chamber,  and  of  preparation  for  appearing  abroad;  and  it  was 
particularly  attended  to  on  occasions  of  personal,  domestic,  or  pub- 
lic rejoicing.  Hence  we  read  of  the  mourners  in  Zion  receiving 
"the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning;"  Isa.  Ixi.  3;  and  of  the  blessed  Mes- 
siah being  "anointed  with  the  oil  of  gladness,  above  his  fellows." — 
"Thou  hast  anointed  my  head  with  oil,"  says  the  Psalmist  David, 
"  my  cup  runneth  over."  Psalm  xxiii.  5. — "  My  horn  shalt  thou 
exalt  like  the  horn  of  a  unicorn;  I  shall  be  anointed  with  fresh  oil." 
Psalm  xcii.  10.  When  Joab  sent  the  woman  of  Tekoah  to  king 
David,  he  said  to  her,  "  Feign  thyself  to  be  a  mourner,  and  put 
on  mourning  apparel,  and  anoint  not  thyself  ivith  oil,  but  be  as  a 
woman  that  had  a  long  time  mourned  for  the  dead."  2  Sam.  xiv> 
2.  Daniel's  real  mourning  was  expressed  in  the  same  way.  He 
"ate  no  pleasant  bread,  neither  did  flesh  nor  wine  come  into  his 
mouth,  neither  did  lie  anoint  himself  at  all:"  Dan.  x.  3,  and  in 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10.  ;505- 

warning  against  ostentatious  hypocrisy,  Christ  says,  "But  thou^ 
when  tliou  fastest,  anoint  thy  head,  and  wash  thy  face,  that  thou 
appear  not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  to  thy  Father  who  is  in  secret.'' 
Matt.  vi.  17,  18.  The  miraculous  healing  of  the  sick  was  in  many 
instances  accompanied  with  "anointing  them  with  oil  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord;"  and  the  sacred  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  grace  are- 
denominated  "an  unction  from  the  Holy  One."  The  notion  of 
pleasure  thus  seems  invariably  associated  with  the  practice;  and 
it  was  aptly  indicated  by  the  richness  and  freshness,  and,  in  many 
cases,  by  the  aromatic  fragrance,  of  the  balsamic  unguents.  "Let 
thy  head  lack  no  ointment"  is  equivalent  to — Rejoice  in  the  bounty 
and  loving-kindness  of  the  Lord:  "let  not  thy  heart  be  troubled, 
neither  let  it  be  afraid."  And  the  expression  "  let  thy  garments 
be  alicays  white"  is  of  the  same  amount  M'ith  the  apostolic  exhor- 
tation, "Rejoice  evermore!"  Take  the  enjoyment  of  whatever 
the  hand  of  a  kind  ])rovidence  bestows,  with  a  grateful  and  cheer- 
ful spirit; — not  with  selfishness  or  extravagance,  or  thoughtless- 
mirth;  but  with  benevolence  and  sobriety,  and  with  that  true  joy 
which  is  independent  of  the  possessions  of  time;  which,  coming 
from  above,  infuses  into  the  things  of  earth  a  relish  of  heaven, 
and  would  continue  to  be  the  inmate  of  the  pious  soul,  though 
they  were  all  removed. 

Verse  9.  Live  joi/fuUi/  with  the  rvife  tcJiom  thoti.  loced,  all  the  days 
of  the  life  of  thy  vanity,  vddch  he  hath  given  thee  under  the  sun,  all 
the  days  of  thy  vanity;  for  that  is  thy  portion  in  this  life,  and  in  thy 
labor  which  thou  tahest  under  the  sun. 

How  sadly  does  Solomon,  in  these  Avords,  condemn  Jiis  own 
practice !  He  commends  marriage,  in  the  form  in  which  it  existed 
from  the  beginning,  as  a  source  of  genuine  happiness,  the  sweete!?t 
that  earth  can  furnish  ;  but  he  warns  against  such  departures  from 
its  original  institution  as  he  had  himself  known,  by  bitter  experi- 
ence, to  frustrate  the  kind  intentions  of  Heaven  in  its  appoint- 
ment. "Live  joyfully  with  the  wife  M'hom  thou  lovest," — the 
one  object  of  thy  undivided  aifections,  with  whom  thou  hast  plighted 
mutual  faith,  and  who  has  given  thee  her  heart  in  return  for  thine. 
It  is  only  in  this  way  that  conjugal  and  domestic  felicity,  the 
purest  and  richest  of  temporal  delights,  and  the  dearest  earthly 
solace  of  this  valley  of  tears,  can  be  eifectually  enjoyed.  It  i& 
the  will  of  God,  intimated  in  nature  by  the  numerical  proportion 
■20 


306  LECTURE   XV ri. 

of  the  j^exes,  and  explicitly  declared  in  his  Word,  that  "every  man 
should  have  his  o^vn  wife,  and  every  Avoman  her  own  husband." 
This  was  the  first  and  permanent  laAV,  when  God,  in  the  beginning 
"  made  a  male  and  a  female,  and  said,  For  this  cause  shall  a  man 
leave  father  and  mother,  and  cleave  unto  his  wife,  and  they  two 
shall  be  one  flesh."  It  were  out  of  place  to  enlarge  on  the  ad- 
vantages, both  to  the  parties  themselves  and  to  their  oifspring,  of 
adherence  to  this  arrangement.  All  recorded  experience  is  in  fa- 
vor of  it;  and  how  could  it  be  otherwise?  Not  only  did  such 
flagrant  transgressors  as  Solomon  make  themselves  miserable  by 
the  violation  of  it.  Look  even  to  patriarchal  times.  The  quarrels 
of  Sarah  and  Hagar  were  a  grief  to  Abraham;  his  grandson  Jacob 
was  vexed  by  those  of  Rachel  and  Leah;  while  Isaac,  although  not 
without  sources  of  trial,  (for  who  is,  or  who  can  be,  in  this  world 
of  sin?)  yet  appears,  in  this  particular,  to  have  lived  a  life  of  har- 
monious and  tranquil  happiness  with  his  heaven-sent  and  loved 
Rebekah. 

But  our  joy  in  the  dearest  relations,  as  well  as  in  all  the  pos- 
sessions of  life,  is  to  be  maintained  in  the  remembrance  that  our 
days  are  vanity : — "  Live  joyfully  with  the  wife  whom  thou  lovest, 
all  the  days  of  the  life  of  thy  vanity,  which  he  hath  given  thee 
under  the  sun,  all  the  days  of  thy  vanity."  The  most  intimate 
and  endearing  connections,  the  springs  of  our  most  exquisite  en- 
joyment, are  necessarily  but  temporary.  Every  marriage  should 
be  formed  in  the  recollection,  that  sooner  or  later  it  must  leave  a 
widow  or  a  widower.  And  blessed  are  they,  whom  the  remem- 
brance of  the  vanity  of  life  does  not  deprive  of  the  relish  of  its 
joys! — "For  that  is  thy  portion  iu  this  life;"  these  sources  of 
happiness,  both  personal  and  social,  are  given  thee  to  be  enjoyed, 
as  thine  allotted  measure  of  this  world's  good,  while  this  frail  and 
mortal  life  continues: — "and  in  thy  labor  which  thou  takest  un- 
der the  sun ;" — they  are  at  once  the  fruit  of  thy  labor,  through  the 
smile  and  blessing  of  heaven  upon  the  work  of  thy  hands;  and 
they  are  the  cheering  solace  of  thy  labor,  amidst  all  its  fatigues 
and  its  occasional  disappointments  and  difficulties.  The  mode  of 
expression  in  this  verse  remarkably  accords  with  the  aj^ostle's  ad- 
monition, to  remember  the  shortness  of  time  both  in  its  joys  and 
its  woes : — "but  this  I  say,  brethren,  the  time  is  short:  it  remaineth, 
that  both  they  that  have  wives  be  as  though  they  Imd  none;  and 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10.  .'W7 

they  that  weep  as  though  they  wept  not;  and  they  that  rejoice,  as 
though  they  rejoiced  not;  and  they  that  buy,  as  though  they  pos- 
sessed not;  and  they  that  use  this  world,  as  not  abusing  it:  for 
the  fashion  of  this  workl  passeth  away."  1  Cor.  vii.  29-31. 

There  is  a  connection  between  the  exhortation  in  this  verse  to 
joy,  and  that  in  the  tenth  to  active  diligence,  founded  on  the  princi- 
ple so  finely  expressed  by  Nehemiah  to  the  Israelites: — "Go  your 
way,  eat  the  fat,  and  drink  the  sweet,  and  send  portions  to  those 
for  whom  nothing  is  prepared  :  for  this  day  is  holy  unto  our  Lord : 
neither  be  ye  sorry,  for  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  strength.^'  Neh. 
viii.  10:— 

Verse  10.  Whatsoever  thy  hand  Jindeth  to  do,  do  it  icith  thy  might: 
for  there  is  no  ivork,  nor  device,  nor  hioidedge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the 
grave,  whither  thou  goest. 

Dejection  and  melancholy  unbrace  all  the  sinews  of  exertion. 
They  make  the  hands  to  hang  down,  and  the  knees  to  become 
feeble.  When  the  mind  is  under  their  influence,  nothing,  either 
of  a  temporal  or  spiritual  nature,  can  be  done  Avith  energy  and 
effect.  All  is  spiritless  and  inefficient.  Whereas,  when  the  heart 
is  light;  when  the  spirits  are  buoyant  and  cheerful;  the  whole 
man,  in  all  his  powers,  is  prompt  and  vigorous  for  duty : — "  what*- 
ever  the  hand  finds  to  do  is  done  M-ith  might." 

I  need  not  say,  that  whatever  we  are  admonished  thus  to  do, 
must  be  in  its  nature  "lawful  and  right."  The  hand  may  find 
to  do  what  God  has  forbidden.  But  this,  instead  of  being  done 
with  might,  must  not  be  done  at  all.  The  exhortation  may  be 
extended  to  all  duty,  whether  in  reference  to  ourselves,  to  others, 
or  to  God.  In  compliance  with  it,  the  child  of  God  will  not  be 
"slothful  in  business,"  but  set  an  example  of  active  industry, 
working  with  his  hands  the  thing  Avhich  is  good ;  that  he  may 
"walk  honestly  toward  them  that  are  without;"  that  he  may 
"have  lack  of  nothing;"  and  that  he  may  "have  to  give  to  him 
that  needeth."  In  compliance  with  it,  he  will  "work  out  his  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,"  in  the  spiritual  and  unre- 
mitting use  of  the  means  of  establishment  and  growth  in  grace; 
"giving  diligence  to  make  his  calling  and  election  sure,"  by  "add- 
ing to  his  faith,  fortitude;  and  to  fortitude,  knowledge;  and  to 
knowledge,  temperance;  and  to  temperance,  patience;  and  to  pa- 
tience, godliness;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly-kindness;  and  to 


308  LECTURE    XVII. 

brotherly-kindness,  charity."  In  compliance  with  it,  he  will  give 
himself,  with  constant  and  persevering  energy,  to  those  works 
which  have  for  their  objects  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of 
men,  both  in  their  temporal  and  eternal  interests, — the  works  of 
piety  and  benevolence.  It  is  probably  to  these  that  the  exhortation 
chiefly  points.  Whatever  opportunities  God  gives  thee  in  his 
providence,  for  promoting  his  own  glory,  and  for  advancing  the 
present  and  the  everlasting  well-being  of  thy  fellow-creatures,  em- 
brace them  with  eagerness;  apply  to  them  all  thy  bodily  and 
mental  energies;  persevere  in  them  with  unrelaxing  ardor.  Do  all 
"  heartily,  as  to  the  Lord  and  not  to  men :" — "  do  it  ivith  thy  might." 
exerting  thyself,  like  a  person  who  has  much  to  do,  and  who 
knows  not  how  little  time  he  may  have  to  do  it. 

Such  is  the  reason  given  for  the  admonition: — "for  there  is  no 
work,  nor  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom,  in  the  grave, 
whither  thou  goest."  Thou  art  travelling  to  the  tomb.  Every 
moment  brings  thee  nearer  to  it;  and  every  moment  may  terminate 
thy  journey.  iVnd  when  thou  hast  arrived  at  "  the  house  appointed 
for  all  living," — "there  is  no  work''  there;  active  power  is  gone: 
there  is  no  "device;''  no  scheme  can  be  either  planned  or  executed 
there:  there  is  no  "  hioidedge"  of  what  passes  on  the  earth  amongst 
surviving  men :  and  there  is  no  "  wisdom;"  that  which  was  unem- 
ployed in  life,  can  there  no  longer  be  applied  to  use.  In  fulfilling 
the  admonition  of  this  verse,  we  imitate  the  example  of  Him  whose 
disciples  and  followers  we  call  ourselves :  for  his  language,  ex- 
pressing the  principle  on  which  he  acted  every  day,  every  hour, 
every  moment  of  his  life,  is  in  the  full  spirit  of  it : — "  I  must  work 
the  works  of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day :  the  night  cometh, 
when  no  man  can  work."  John  ix.  4. 

These  verses  suggest  the  following  reflections. 

1.  In  the  first  place;  There  are  some  truths,  in  the  faith  of  which 
we  ought  at  all  times  to  be  firmly  established,  and  of  which  we 
should  not  allow  our  conviction  to  be  readily  shaken  by  apparent 
difiiculties.  Of  this  description,  especially,  are  those  which  respect 
the  existence  and  perfections  of  Deity.  Every  thing  derogatory 
to  his  essential  excellence ;  every  thing  of  the  nature  of  imputation 
against  any  of  his  necessary  moral  attributes ;  we  should  unhesi- 
tatingly and  with  abhorrence  reject.  Difficulties  in  tlie  Divine 
administration  we  might  well  expect  to  find.     But  let  nothing  of 


ECCLESIASTES   IX.    1-10.  309 

this  kind  ever  shake  our  conviction  that  He  is  righteous,  and  that 
he  "  loveth  righteousness  and  hateth  iniquity."  It  it  surely  much 
more  reasonable;  more  accordant  both  with  soundness  of  judgment 
and  with  lowliness  of  heart;  to  conclude,  that  whatever  appears 
opposite  to  this  is  opposite  in  appearance  only,  and  that  the  diffi- 
culty arises  entirely  from  our  short-sightedness  and  limited  knowl- 
edge. "Verily  there  is  a  reward  for  the  righteous;  verily  he  is 
a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth." 

2.  Secondly ;  In  the  full  confidence  of  this,  let  the  people  of  God 
"rejoice  in  tribulation."  The  design  of  their  heavenly  Father, 
in  all  their  trials,  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  assurances  of  his 
paternal  love.  His  discipline  is  one  of  the  expressions  of  that 
love.  He  would  be  neither  faithful  nor  kind,  were  he  to  withhold 
it  when,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  he  perceives  it  to  be  necessary  for 
their  spiritual  benefit.  "  My  son,  despise  not  thou  the  chastening 
of  the  Lord,  neither  be  weary  of  his  correction ;  for  whom  the 
Lord  loveth  he  correcteth,  even  as  a  father  the  son  in  whom  he 
delighteth." — "We  have  had  fathers  of  our  flesh  who  corrected 
us,  and  wo  gave  them  reverence ;  shall  we  not  much  rather  be  in 
subjection  unto  the  Father  of  spirits,  and  live?  For  they,  verily, 
for  a  few  days  chastened  us  after  their  own  pleasure,  but  he  for 
our  profit,  that  we  might  be  partakers  of  his  holiness."  Prov.  iii. 
11,  12.  Heb.  xii.  9,  10.  Be  assured  of  this  all-merciful  intention 
under  the  severest  strokes  of  his  hand:  and  even  although  you 
should  appear  to  be  selected  for  sutfering,  whilst  the  ungodly 
around  you  are  enjoying  prosperity,  be  not  startled  nor  stumbled 
at  this ;  but  look,  in  the  exercise  of  faith,  for  present  and  ultimate 
good  from  all  that  you  are  called  to  endure.  Imitate  Moses,  in 
"choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than 
to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season."  Repress  the  risings 
of  a  foolish  and  criminal  envy.  Rejoice  in  hope.  "The  trial  of 
your  faith,  being  much  more  precious  than  of  gold,  that  perisheth, 
though  it  be  tried  with  fire,  shall  be  found  unto  praise  and  honor 
and  glory  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ."  Cleave  to  the  Lord 
with  purpose  of  heart.  Bow  to  his  sovereignty;  yield  to  his 
wisdom;  rely  on  his  faithfulness;  rejoice  in  his  love;  be  strong  in 
his  strength.  His  grace  is  sufficient  for  you,  and  will  "keep  you 
through  faith  unto  salvation." — "  AVhat  shall  we  then  say  to  these 
things?    If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us?    He  who  spared 


310  LECTURE   XVII. 

not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he 
not,  with  him,  also  freely  give  us  all  things?  Who  shall  separate 
us  from  the  love  of  Christ?  Shall,  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  per- 
secution, or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword?  (As  it  is 
written,  For  thy  sake  w^e  are  killed  all  the  day  long;  we  are  ac- 
counted as  sheep  for  the  slaughter.)  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we 
are  more  than  conquerors,  through  him  that  loved  us.  For  I  am 
persuaded,  that  neither  death  nor  life,  nor  angels  nor  principalities 
nor  powers,  nor  things  present  nor  things  to  come,  nor  hight  nor 
depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  Horn.  viii. 
31,  32,  35-39. 

3.  Thirdly ;  Let  the  ungodly  and  worldly  man  beware  of  inter- 
preting his  earthly  prosperity,  however  great  and  however  constant, 
into  a  token  of  Divine  favor  and  approbation,  or  an  evidence  that 
God  never  will  call  him  to  "give  an  account  of  his  stewardship." 
This  is  a  miserable  delusion ;  a  fearful  abuse  of  the  providence  of 
God.  O  flatter  not  yourselves,  as  if  the  God  who  permits  you  to 
prosper;  the  kind  and  indulgent  Author  of  all  your  undeserved 
and  ill-requited  blessings;  approves  or  thinks  lightly  of  your  sins. 
He  hates  them;  and  he  will  punish  them.  "He  is  not  a  God  that 
hath  pleasure  in  wickedness,  neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  him." 
Let  not  that  be  your  encouragement  to  continued  disregard  of 
God,  which  ought  to  melt  you  to  penitence,  and  to  wdn  your  heart 
to  gratitude  and  love.  Let  not  your  prosperity  thus  be  your  ruin. 
It  is  "  the  prosperity  of  fools  that  destroys  them."  If,  lulled  by 
such  a  delusion,  you  persist  in  forgetting  God,  and  are  only  waked 
by  the  summons  to  judgment, — w'oe  is  me  for  you!  As  the  right- 
eous may  be  assured  of  the  favor  of  God,  you  may,  with  equal 
certainty,  be  assured  of  his  holy  displeasure;  and  Avell  may  you 
tremble  for  its  consequences.  "Say  unto  the  wicked.  It  shall  be 
ill  with  him." — "When  the  wicked  spring  as  the  grass,  and  all 
the  workers  of  inquity  do  flourish,  it  is  that  they  shall  be  destroyed 
for  ever." — "The  wrath  of  God,"  which  is  "revealed  from  heaven 
against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men,"  rests  upon 
them  amidst  all  their  prosperity,  and  shall  abide  u2)on  them  for 
ever; — the  wrath  of  a  holy,  just,  almighty,  and  immutable  God. 
They  "spring"  and  "flourish:"  but  they  are  not  "trees  of  right- 
eousness, the  planting  of  the  Lord,  in  whicli  he  is  glorified:"  and 


ECCLESIASTES    IX.    1-10.  oil 

''  every  tree  that  bringeth  not  Ibrtli  good  fruit,  shall  be  hewn  clown, 
and  cast  into  the  fire." 

4.  Fourthly;  In  forming  our  estimate  of  the  comparative  hap- 
piness of  different  descriptions  of  men,  we  should  take  into  our 
account  the  M-liole  extent  of  their  existence,  and  not  merely  this 
transitory  life.  It  is  passing  strange,  that  any  who  profess  to 
believe  in  the  immortality  of  man  should  ever  overlook  this  self- 
evident  principle.  It  is  peculiarly  wonderful  that  it  should,  on 
any  occasion,  escape  the  recollection  of  those  who  have  themselves 
been  taught  of  God,  to  "look  not  at  the  things  which  are  seen, 
but  at  the  things  which  are  not  seen."  Yet  it  was  forgetfulness  of 
this  that  <3onstituted  the  main  error  of  Asaph,  when  he  was  envi- 
ous at  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked ;  and  it  was  by  being  reminded 
of  it,  that  his  spirit  was  set  at  liberty  from  the  bondage  of  tempta- 
tion. It  was  the  saying  of  an  ancient  philosopher,  that  no  man 
should  be  pronounced  happy  till  after  his  death;  by  which  he  inten- 
ded to  express  the  extreme  uncertainty  of  earthly  enjoyments,  and 
the  impossibility  of  knowing  how  soon  the  sunshine  of  prosperity 
might  be  overcast,  and  how  long  and  how  deep  might  be  the  sub- 
sequent gloom : — how  quickly  the  cup  of  sweets  might  be  dashed 
from  the  lips,  and  a  bitter  cup  succeed  it,  so  full  and  so  nauseous, 
as  to  make  the  sweet  be  all  forgotten.  But  the  word  of  God 
teaches  us  to  go  still  further ;  not  only  to  suspend  our  sentence  of 
happiness  or  misery  till  the  earthly  course  has  been  finished,  but 
to  look  beyond  its  close,  into  the  eternity  that  follows  it.  It  would 
be  very  foolish  to  pronounce  a  man  happy  in  this  Avorld  on  ac- 
count of  one  day's  enjoyment,  succeeded  by  threescore  years  of 
severe,  uuintermitted,  and  unmitigated  suffering.  It  were  more 
foolish,  in  the  proportion  of  everlasting  existence  to  the  short 
period  of  human  life,  to  call  him  a  happy  man,  who  should  enjoy 
throughout  the  threescore  years  all  that  this  world  could  possibly 
furnish,  and  then  sink  into  an  eternity  of  woe.  So  mighty  is  the 
disjjroportion  between  the  present  and  the  future  part  of  man's 
existence,  that  we  cannot  be  said  to  have  estimated  his  happiness 
at  all,  if  we  have  left  the  latter  out  of  our  calculation.  For  the 
lives  of  all  mankind  together  bear  no  proportion  to  eternity.  They 
are  not  to  it  what  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  is  to  the  life  of  Methu- 
selah. We  are  not  required  to  prefer  the  temporal  situation  of 
Lazarus,  to  that  of  the  rich  man.     But  who,  in  the  ])osses=ion  of  a 


312  LECTURE    XT  LI. 

soand  understanding,  w»uld  hesitate  to  prefer  the  character  and 
intire  existence  of  the  one  to  the  character  and  intire  existence  of 
the  other?  Who  would  not  prefer  the  poverty,  and  sores,  and 
sc[ualid  -wretchedness  of  the  beggar,  followed  by  an  endless  dura- 
tion of  bliss;  to  the  riches,  and  health,  and  finery,  and  sumptuous 
fare  of  his  lordly  superior,  succeeded  by  everlasting  torment  in 
the  "fire  that  never  shall  be  <:|uenched?" 

5.  Fifthly;  Let  the  precariousness  of  the  tenure  by  which  life  is 
held ;  along  with  the  decisiveness  of  death,  in  for  ever  terminating 
all  connection  with  the  concerns  of  time,  and  fixing  irreversibly 
the  future  state;  warn  the  ungodly,  the  careless,  the  worldly,  to 
seek  a  more  durable  portion  than  any  they  can  possess  here,  and 
to  flee  in  time  for  refuge  from  the  coming  wrath.  What  a  sad 
thing  will  it  be,  my  friends,  should  it  be  said  at  last  of  any  one 
■of  you.  He  has  had  his  reward  !  "To  him  that  is  joined  to  all 
the  living  there  is  hope."  Improve,  then,  the  time  of  your  merci- 
ful visitation.  "To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not 
your  hearts."  For  when  a  man  has  been  "joined  to  the  dead," 
if  he  has  lived  and  died  in  his  sins,  hope  is  at  an  end.  His  sentence 
is  sealed;  and  the  seal  can  never  be  broken.  From  the  prison  of 
hell  he  can  never  return  to  this  world ;  and  between  it  and  the 
;abodes  of  the  blessed  there  is  fixed  a  great  and  impassable  gulf; 
■across  which  no  sounds  of  mercy,  no  tidings  of  salvation,  no  pro- 
'clamations  of  pardon,  reach  his  ear.  "Hope  never  comes,  that 
<;omes  to  all." 

As  there  is  hope  for  all  that  are  "joined  to  the  living,  Ave  are 
encouraged  to  announce  and  recommend  to  all  that  live,  the  mercy 
offered  by  the  gospel  to  sinners  through  the  one  Mediator.  But  still 
remember,  words  cannot  express  the  uncertainty  of  life.  To  some 
of  you,  this  may  be  your  last  warning.  To-morrow  may  disjoin 
you  from  the  living,  and  settle  your  etei'ual  doom.  O  look  now, 
then,  unto  Jesus.  Defer  not  reflection  to  a  day  that  may  never 
be  yours, — "Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  for  why  will  ye  die?" 

Lastly ;  Let  Christians  recommend  religion  by  displaying  its 
cheerful  influence.  It  is  an  article  of  your  creed,  that  the  dis- 
coveries, of  the  gospel  are  "good  tidings  of  great  joy,"  and  that 
"  wisdom's  ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness."  Let  not  your  deport- 
ment belie  your  professed  belief.  Are  you  to  show  yourselves  be- 
lievers of  glad  tidings,  by  "hanging  your  heads  like  a  bulrush, 


ECCLE81A8TE.S    IX.    I-IO.  •]l-> 

and  .spreading  sackcloth  and  ashes  under  you?"  by  a  countenance 
never  lighted  up  with  a  smile?  by  nothing  but  sighs,  and  tears, 
and  groans?  Is  it  not  the  precept  of  God,  intimating  at  once  your 
duty  and  your  privilege,  "Rejoice  evermore?"  Light  is  the  em- 
blem of  knowledge,  and  purity,  and  joy;  and  in  all  its  three  em- 
blematic senses.  Christians  are  "children  of  light."  "Come  then, 
O  house  of  Jacob,  and  walk  in  the  light  of  the  Lord."  Truly  thi.^ 
light  is  sweet.  Present  to  all  around  you  a  just  and  inviting  vie^\■ 
of  your  religion.  "Lie  not  against  the  truth,"  by  leading  every 
one  that  looks  you  in  the  face  to  fancy  it  a  system  of  inveterate 
and  incurable  melancholy.  There  is  a  wide  distance  between 
cheerfulness  and  levity;  betM^een  the  tranquil  yet  animated  glad- 
ness of  the  believing  soul,  and  the  frothy  and  transient  mirth  of 
the  fool.  Religion  is  at  an  equal  distance  from  unbecoming  fri- 
volity and  sullen  moroseness.  It  is  the  day-light  of  the  soul. 
Let  it  appear  in  its  true  character.  Let  it  infuse  its  cheering  in- 
fluence into  your  enjoyment  of  all  your  earthly  blessings.  "Eat 
thy  meat  with  gladness,  and  drink  thy  wine  wuth  a  merry  heart; 
and  live  joyfully  ^\■itll  the  wife  whom  thou  lovest."  And  not  only 
so;  but,  animated  by  the  faith  of  the  Divine  promises,  and  by  tla- 
blessed  prospects  that  are  before  you,  "  rejoice  in  tribulations  also; 
knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  patience ;  and  patience,  experi- 
ence; and  experience,  hojje;  and  hope  maketh  not  ashamed,  be- 
cause the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  your  hearts,  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  who  is  given  unto  you,"  Rom.  v.  3-5. 


LECTrKE  XVIII 


ECCLESIASTES  IX.  11-18. 

"  T  returned,  and  saw  under  the  .sun,  that  the  race  (is)  not  to  the  swift,  nor 
tlie  battle  to  the  strong,  neither  yet  bread  to  the  wise,  not  yet  riches  to  men 
of  understanding,  nor  yet  favor  to  men  of  skill;  but  time  and  chance  hap- 
peneth  to  them  all.  12.  For  man  also  knoweth  not  his  time:  as  the  fishes 
that  (are)  taken  in  an  evil  net,  and  as  the  birds  that  (are)  caught  in  the 
snare;  so  (are)  the  sons  of  men  snared  in  an  evil  time,  when  it  falleth  sud- 
denly upon  them.  13.  This  wisdom  have  I  seen  also  under  the  sun,  and 
it  (seemed)  great  unto  me:  14.  (There  was)  a  little  city,  and  few  men  with- 
in it;  and  there  came  a  great  king  against  it,  and  besieged  it,  and  built 
great  bulwarks  against  it.  15.  Now  tliere  was  found  in  it  a  poor  wise  man, 
and  he  by  his  wisdom  delivered  the  city ;  yet  no  man  remembered  that  same 
poor  man.  16.  Then  said  I,  Wisdom  (is)  better  than  strength:  neverthe- 
less the  poor  man's  wisdom  (is)  despised,  and  his  words  are  not  heard.  17,. 
The  words  of  wise  (men  are)  heard  in  quiet  more  than  the  cry  of  him  that 
ruleth  among  fools.  18.  AVisdom  (is)  better  than  weapons  of  war:  but  one 
sinner  destroyeth  much  good." 

Having,  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  chapter,  stated  the  fact 
of  the  indiscriminate  distribtition  of  temporal  good  and  evil  in  the 
administration  of  providence,  and  having  drawn  from  it  there- 
flections  and  practical  lessons  which  it  suggested;  the  wise  man 
returns  to  the  further  examination  of  the  same  subject,  or  at  lea-st 
of  one  very  closely  connected  with  it  in  the  Divine  procedure: — 

Verse  11.  I  returned,  and  saw  under  the  sun,  thcd  the  race  is  noi 
to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong,  neither  yet  bread  to  the  wise, 
nor  yet  riches  to  men  of  understanding,  nor  i/et  favor  to  men  of  shiU; 
but  time  and  chance  happeneth  to  them,  all. 

This  verse  has  not  only  a  connection  ^vith  the  general  subjeci 
of  the  preceding  passage,  but  a  more  immediate  relation  to  verse 
tenth.  In  it  he  exhorts  to  the  application  of  vigorous  diligence 
in  "whatever  our  hand  findeth  to  do."  Here  he  suggests  a  cau- 
tion against  a  too  sanguine  confidence  of  success,  after  the  exer- 


ECCLE.SIA8TES    IX.    11-18.  315 

tion  of  all  our  ability  and  all  our  skill.  Diiferent  characters  are 
prone  to  oppose  extremes.  Some  are  so  timid  and  diffident,  that 
they  will  hardly  undertake  or  exert  themselves  in  any  thing,  from 
the  apprehension  of  failure.  Others  are  so  dauntless  and  ardent, 
that  failure  hardly  ever  enters  into  their  calculations.  The  former 
are  in  danger  of  losing  opportunities  both  of  doing  and  of  obtain- 
ing good.  They  stand  in  need  of  excitement.  The  admonition 
of  the  tenth  verse  requires  to  be  pressed  upon  their  practical  re- 
gard, that  they  may  not  become  the  victims  of  inactivity  and 
sloth.  The  latter  are  in  danger  of  precipitation  and  extravagance, 
and,  by  their  high  undoubting  assurance  of  success,  of  preparing 
for  themselves  the  bitterness  of  disappointment.  They  need  the 
counsels  of  humility  and  dependence.  The  lesson  of  the  eleventh 
verse  must  be  urged  upon  their  notice;  a  lesson,  of  which  the  truth 
must  be  obvious  to  every  attentive  observer  of  human  affairs : — 
''  The  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong,  neither 
yet  bread  to  the  wise,  nor  yet  riches  to  men  of  understanding,  nor 
yet  favor  to  men  of  skill ;  but  time  and  chance  happeneth  to  them 
all." 

We  very  naturally  expect,  that  the  lightest  of  foot  should  al- 
ways get  first  to  the  goal,  and  win  the  prize ;  that  in  battle,  the 
most  numerous  and  well  appointed  and  powerful  army  should 
uniformly  be  victorious;  that  the  man  of  intelligence  and  prudence 
in  business  should  never  fail  to  make  rich;  that  he  who  courts 
favor  and  popularity,  by  skilful  and  well-devised  arts,  should  in- 
variably succeed  in  gaining  the  good  graces  of  his  fellow-men. 
But  experience  frequently  contradicts  our  expectations.  The  man 
who  is  "swift  of  foot  as  a  wild  roe"  may  trip  and  stumble,  or  by 
some  untoward  accident  be  thrown  behind  his  less  fleet  competitor. 
Innumerable  are  the  circumstances  that  affect  what  is  called  the 
fortune  of  war, — the  chance  of  battle, — so  that  at  times  a  hundred 
may  put  ten  thousand  to  flight.  The  most  intelligent  and  pru- 
dent do,  not  unfrequently,  with  all  their  application  and  care,  fail 
of  getting  forward  in  the  world;  riches  seeming  unaccountably  to 
elude  their  grasp.  And  the  most  insinuating  and  skilful  courtier 
defeats  sometimes  his  own  purposes,  or  is  thwarted  by  occurrences 
which  he  could  not  control,  and  becomes  the  most  unpopular  of 
men. 

We  are  not  to  conclude  from  this,  that  there  is  no  adaptation 


316  LEC'TUilE    XVIII.. 

of  means  to  ends, — no  tendency  in  these  qualities  to  the  desired 
event,  more  than  in  their  opposites; — that  there  is  no  superior 
probability  of  success  to  the  swift  more  than  to  the  slow,  to  the 
strong  more  than  to  the  weak,  to  the  intelligent  more  than  to  the 
ignorant,  to  the  skilful  more  than  to  the  foolish.  Far  form  it. 
Were  this  the  case,  we  might  give  up  altogether  the  use  of  means 
for  the  attainment  of  our  ends,  or  be  utterly  regardless  of  their  na- 
ture. The  meaning  evidently  is  no  more  than  that,  with  all  a  man's 
superiority,  success  is  not  to  be  insured: — no  man  must  count  upon 
it  with  certainty — "Time  and  chance  happeneth  to  them  all." 

"Time." — There  are  favorable  and  unfavorable  times  in  which 
men's  lot  may  be  cast ;  and  such  times,  too,  may  occur  alternately 
in  the  experience  of  the  same  individual.  A  man  of  very  inferior 
tiilent,  should  he  fall  on  a  favorable  time,  may  succeed  with  com- 
parative ease;  whereas  in  a  time  that  is  not  propitious,  abilities  of 
the  first  order  cannot  preserve  their  possessor  from  failure  and 
-disappointment.  And  even  the  same  period  may  be  advantageous 
to  one  description  of  business,  and  miserably  the  reverse  to  another; 
and  it  may  thus  be  productive  of  prosperity  to  men  who  prosecute 
the  former,  and  of  loss  and  ruin  to  those  engaged  in  the  latter  ; 
although  the  superiority  in  knowledge,  capacity,  and  prudence^ 
may  be  all,  and  even  to  a  great  degree,  on  the  losing  side. 

"Chance." — We  must  not  understand  Solomon  as  intending  by 
the  use  of  this  word,  to  convey  the  idea  that  there  is,  or  can  be, 
any  thing  absolutely  fortuitous.  The  reign  of  chance  can  never  be 
more  than  imaginary.  The  very  supposition  of  it  is  pregnant 
alike  with  impiety  and  absurdity.  It  is  atheism,  enhance  is  a 
term  denoting  ignorance,  not  on  God's  part,  but  on  ours.  It  ban 
lyeen  happily  defined,  although  by  a  poet,  yet  without  a  poet's 
iietion, — "direction  which  we  cannot  see."  The  blind  Goddess  of 
Fortune  is  but  the  creation  of  a  foolish  and  ungodly  fancy.  With- 
out our  Heavenly  Father,  "a  sparrow  falleth  not  to  the  ground;" 
and  no  figure  could  more  strongly  express  the  idea  of  unremitted 
attention  to  the  minutest  interests  of  his  children,  than  his  "num- 
bering the  hairs  of  their  heads." — "The  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap; 
but  the  whole  disposing  thereof  is  of  the  Lord." 

The  obvious  meaning  of  chance  here  is,  that  there  is  an  endless 
variety  of  circumstances  and  events,  which  cannot  be  foreseen,  and 
over  which,  therefore,  no  man  can  have  any  control,  which  yet 


EC0LE8IASTE8    IX.    11-18.  .  317 

must  materially  alfect  the  success  or  the  failure  of  all  his  schemes 
and  operations.  These  "secret  things"  which  "belong  unto  the 
Lord,"  appear  to  us  as  if  they  came  by  chance;  and  men  who  fear  not 
God,  idly  talk  of  Fortune  fevoring  them  when  they  prosper,  and 
of  her  being  blind,  capricious,  and  partial,  when  they  fail.  But 
all  is  under  the  superintendence  of  Him  who  is  infinite  in  wis- 
dom, power,  and  goodness.  And  even  with  regard  to  ourselves, 
it  is  going  too  far  to  represent  human  life  as  a  perfect  lottery,  in 
which  the  wheel  goes  round,  and  blanks  and  prizes  are  drawn  out, 
without  discrimination  and  with  equal  frequency,  for  the  indolent 
and  the  active,  for  the  prudent  and  the  foolish ;  as  if  indolence 
and  activity,  prudence  and  folly,  were  without  distinction  in  their 
respective  tendencies.  There  is,  however,  beyond  question,  as 
imiversal  experience  evinces,  and  as  the  present  times  impressively 
testify,  a  vast  deal  of  uncertainty  in  calculating  the  probabilities 
of  a  man's  success  in  any  pursuit.  Unanticipated  circumstances 
may  assign  the  laurel  to  the  slow,  and  leave  the  SAvift  uncrowned;, 
may  give  victory  to  the  Aveak,  and  bring  defeat  and  shame  to  the 
strong ;  may  confer  riches  and  favor  on  the  ignorant  and  indis- 
creet, and  withhold  them  from  the  wise,  the  skilful,  and  intelli- 
gent. That  "chance"  must  have  this  restricted  meaning,  is  ob- 
vious :  for  even  if  it  were  understood  as  exclusive  of  providence, 
still,  facts  could  never  bear  out  the  affirmation  that  there  are  no 
distinctive  tendencies  in  different  principles  and  modes  of  conduct, 
and  that  it  is,  unqualifiedly,  all  one  as  to  the  result,  whether  a  man. 
be  diligent  or  slothful,  prudent  or  insensate. 

The  sentiment  of  the  eleventh  verse  is  expanded  in  the  twelfth : — 

Verse  12.  For  man  also  knoweth  not  his  time:  as  the  Jishes  that 

are  taken  in  an  evil  net,  and  as  the  birds  that  are  caught  in  the  snare; 

80  are  the  sons  of  men  snared  in  an  evil  time,  when  itfalleth  suddenly 

■upon  them. 

"  Man  knoweth  not  his  time,"  refers  to  the  uncertainty  of  events^ 
the  fickleness  of  human  affairs,  already  mentioned.  A  man  may 
select  his  time  for  the  execution  of  any  purpose,  with  much  ap- 
parent sagacity.  To  others,  as  well  as  to  himself,  it  may  seem, 
the  most  promising  that  could  have  been  chosen.  Yet  who  can, 
with  certainty,  tell  him  what  shall  be?  He  knoweth  not  what  a 
day  may  bring  forth.  The  wind  may  suddenly  shift.  The  tide 
may  unexpectedly  turn.     The  times  may  surprise  him  by  an  un- 


318  •  LECTURE  xvm. 

looked  for  change.  He  may  cast  his  seed  into  an  excellent  bed, 
in  the  best  of  weather;  but  numberless  are  the  circumstances  that 
may  blast  his  hopes  of  a  harvest.  To-day  may  be  an  auspicious 
time,  and  his  prospects  may  be  brightened  by  the  splendour  of 
hope : — to-morrow  may  be  unfavorable,  and  may  cloud  them  with 
the  darkness  of  despair.  In  this  world  of  mutability,  he  must 
always  plan  and  act  with  a  measure  of  uncertainty ;  and  ought  to 
preface  all  his  undertakings  with — "If  the  Lord  will." 

The  fishes  and  the  birds,  roaming  through  their  respective  ele- 
ments, with  all  the  happy  agility  of  freedom,  dart  suddenly  into 
the  net  of  the  fisherman  or  the  snare  of  the  fowler.  They  are 
taken  by  surprise;  taken,  beyond  escape;  and  taken,  to  be  des- 
troyed. "  So  are  the  sons  of  men  snared  in  an  evil  time,  when  it 
falleth  suddenly  upon  them."  An  evil  time  is  a  time  of  misfor- 
tune and  calamity,  which  often  comes  unexpectedly,  without  the 
possibility  either  of  its  being  anticipated,  or  of  its  mischievous 
effects  being  shunned. 

There  is  one  most  important  time,  of  which  men  are  left  in  total 
ignorance;  the  time  that  closes  their  connection  with  this  world, 
terminating  all  their  schemes,  and  labors,  and  enjoyments,  and 
prospects.  To  the  ungodly,  this  is  indeed  "an  evil  time,"  the 
worst  of  all  times:  and  how  often  has  it  "fallen  suddenly  upon 
them !"  How  often,  when  a  man  has  been  in  the  uninterrupted 
course  of  his  prosperity,  rising  rapidly  to  the  summit  of  his 
wishes ; — when  he  has  realized  his  fortune,  finished  his  house,  laid 
out  his  lands, — and  is  saying  to  his  soul,  "Soul,  thou  hast  much 
goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be 
merry," — is  he  "snared  in  an  evil  time,"  and  in  a  moment  goes 
down  to  the  grave! — 'O  that  men  were  wise,  that  they  understood 
this,  that  they  would  consider  their  latter  end." 

His  general  observations  Solomon  illustrates  by  a  case,  which 
we  may  suppose  to  have  been  a  matter  of  fact  that  had  come  to 
his  knoAvledge: — 

Verses  13-16.  Thin  wisdom  have  I  seen  also  under  the  sun,  and 
it  seemed  great  unto  me.  There  was  a  little  city,  and  few  men  within 
it;  and  there  came  a  great  king  against  it,  and  besieged  it,  and  built 
great  bidwarhs  against  it.  Now  there  was  found  in  it  a  poor  wise 
man,  and  he  by  his  wisdom  delive^rd  the  city ;  yet  no  man  remembered 
this  same  2^00 r  man.     Then  said  I,  Wisdom  is  better  than  strength  ; 


ECCLE8IASTES    IX.    11-lX.  319 

neceiiheless,  the  poor  man^s  v-isdora  /.s  despised,  aud  Ins  irords  are 
not  heard. 

"This  wisdom  seemed  great"  to  Solomon.  He  was  delighted 
with  it.  It  was  found  where  it  was  not  looked  for.^The  govern- 
or»  of  the  city,  the  public  functionaries,  would  no  doubt  set  all 
their  wits  to  work,  to  devise  means  of  safety.  But  they  could 
think  of  none  that  gave  any  promise  of  proving  eifectual.  They 
were  at  a  stand;  and  would  of,  course,  have  surrended  at  discretion, 
or  have  perished  by  the  sword  of  exterminating  vengeance.  In 
this  emergency,  an  obscure,  unknown,  "poor  man,  by  his  wisdom 
saved  the  city,"  which  was  little  in  itself,  ill  defended,  and  quite 
incapable  of  withstanding  the  besieging  army  of  a  great  king. 

"Yet  no  man  remembered  this  same  poor  man."     The  danger 
was  no  sooner  over,  than  he  was  ungratefully  forgotten,  and  his 
important  service  was  unrewarded.     "Wisdom,"  on  this  occasion, 
was  "better  than  strength,"  and  prevailed  against  it,  foiling  the 
might  of  the  assailing  enemy.     But  the  honor  that  is  due  to  wis- 
dom is  not  always  obtained  by  its  possessor.     Had  this  wise  man 
been  at  the  same  time  a  man  of  station  and  wealth,  his  name  w^ould 
probably  have  been  recorded  in  the  annals  of  the  city,  a  pillar 
possibly  reared  at  the  time  to  commemorate  his  service,  and  a 
monument  of  regret  erected  over  his  grave.     But  the  man  was 
poor ;  and  having  been  neglected  before,  he  quickly  relapsed  into 
Ms  original  obscurity.     "His  wisdom  was  despised,  and  his  words 
were  not  heard."     They  %oere  indeed  heard;  but  it  Avas  only  in  the 
moment  of  danger  and  alarm.     Or,  for  aught  we  can  say,  the  poor 
man's  scheme  might  be  devised  and  executed  by  himself,  done 
secretly,  or  with  the  concurrence  and  aid  of  a  few  more  of  his  own 
station.     And  whether  this  was  the  case,  or  whether  it  was  laid 
before  the  chief  men  of  the  city,  and  by  them  adopted,  the  effect 
might  be  envy,  and  consequent  studied  neglect.     For  although  a 
pressing  sense  of  immediate  danger  might  induce  them  at  the  time 
to  listen  to  and  follow  his  counsel,  it  might  still  be  with  the  des- 
picable feelings  of  spiteful  jealousy ;  and  when   the  danger  was 
past,  the  same  feelings  might  induce  them  to  treat  with  neglect 
the  poor  benefactor  of  their  city ;  or  he  might  speedily  escape  their 
memories,  as  "the  chief  butler,"  w^hen  restored  to  his  honors,  "rc- 
jnembered  not  Joseph,  but  forgot  him." 

But  why  is  this  incident  introduced  here ?    What  is  its  connection 


320  LECTURE    XVIII. 

with  the  writer's  subject?  The  eouuection  is  far  Iroin  being  dis- 
tant. It  presents  an  ilhistration,  in  two  views,  of  the  sentiment 
in  the  eleventh  verse.  It  shows,  in  the  first  place,  that  "the  battle 
is  not  to  the  strong."  A  mighty  monarch  came  against  this  small 
and  feeble  city,  invested  it,  and  constructed  his  works  around  it. 
Its  destruction  seemed  inevitable.  But  there  happened  to  be  with- 
in its  walls,  amongst  the  obscure  part  of  its  population,  a  poor 
man,  who  in  his  wisdom  suggested  some  expedient,  which  baffled 
the  exertions  and  frustrated  the  hopes  of  the  enemy,  rendering  all 
his  engines  and  bulwarks  useless  and  unavailing.  This  little  cir- 
cumstance, unforeseen  and  unexpected,  disconcerted  the  whole  pro- 
ject, and  gave  preservation  and  victory  to  the  weak.  It  shows, 
secondly,  that  "favor  is  not  to  men  of  skill."  It  does  not  appear, 
it  is  true,  that  the  poor  man  had  any  such  object  in  view  as  courting 
favor.  But  he  displayed  wisdom  and  skill;  and  he  missed  their 
merited  recompense.  His  poverty  and  obscurity,  or  the  envy  of 
those  in  power  and  station,  dej)rived  him  of  his  due. 

Verse  17.  The  words  of  wise  men  are  heard  in  quiet  more  than  the 
cry  of  him  that  ruleth  among  fools. 

There  seems,  at  first  view,  an  inconsistency  between  the  end  of 
the  sixteenth  verse  and  the  seventeenth.  In  the  former  it  is  said, 
"The  poor  man's  wisdom  is  despised,  and  his  words  are  not  heard: — 
in  the  latter,  "The  words  of  wise  men  are  heard  in  quiet,  more 
than  the  cry  of  him  that  ruleth  among  fools." — In  the  seventeenth 
verse,  there  is  probably  a  reference  to  the  quiet  way  in  which  this 
"  poor  wise  man  "  saved  the  city.  We  may  suppose  him  to  have 
communicated  his  scheme  to  two  or  three  privately,  who  had  the 
good  sense  to  hear  him,  and  to  enter  into  his  views;  and  whilst 
"  the  cry  of  him  that  ruled  among  fools," — the  loud  and  bluster- 
ino-  bravadoes,  it  may  be,  of  a  senseless  and  headstrong  ruler,  were 
not  only  unavailing,  but  calculated  to  hasten  and  to  aggravate 
the  ruin  of  the  place, — the  wisdom  of  this  poor  man  was  "heard 
in  quiet,"  and  was  secretly,  and  without  noise  and  ostentation, 
working  its  deliverance.  This  renders  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth verses  quite  consistent ;  the  latter  referring  to  the  attention 
shown  to  his  wise  suggestions  at  the  time,  and  their  influence  in 
effecting  the  deliverance  of  the  city ;  and  the  former,  to  the  sub- 
sequent disregard  of  the  man  himself  and  of  his  wisdom,  when 
the  threatening  danger  was  past, — the  indisposition  then  either  to 


ECCLESIASTES   IX.    11-18.  321 

hear  or  to  profit  by  it,  or  to  give  respect  and  honor  to  its  pos- 
sessor. 

Verse  18.  Wisdom  is  better  than  weapons  of  loar'.  but  one  sinner 
destroyeth  much  good. 

In  the  instance  which  Solomon  had  just  adduced,  the  truth  of 
the  former  part  of  this  verse  had  been  illustrated  and  established. 
Wisdom  had  proved  its  superiority  to  military  weapons  and  war- 
like engines,  for  it  had  effectually  overcome  them;  and  it  had 
thus  accomplished  what  forcible  resistance  would  have  attempted 
in  vain.  And  even  on  the  supposition  that  "weapons  of  war" 
could  have  delivered  the  city,  still  it  must  have  been  at  the  ex- 
pense of  blood,  and  of  varied  and  accumulated  distress, — of  the 
tortures  of  the  wounded,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying,  and  the 
tears  of  widows,  and  orphans,  and  friends;  all  which  was  prevented 
by  the  timely  exercise  of  wisdom. 

From  his  being  contrasted  with  one  "  sinner,"  we  are  naturally 
led  to  consider  the  wise  man  as  not  only  politically  sagacious  and 
prudent,  but  wise  in  a  higher  sense, — truly  good,  influenced  by 
right  principles,  by  motives  of  genuine  disinterested  benevolence, 
by  regard  to  the  will  of  God  and  the  obligations  of  duty,  satisfied 
with  the  attainment  of  the  benefit  to  others,  without  stopping  to 
calculate  the  possible  results  to  himself.  This  one  wise  man  effected 
much  good :  but  "  one  sinner  destroyeth  much  good."  It  is  far 
easier  to  do  harm,  than  to  do  good.  And  one  wicked  man,  pos- 
sessed of  a  little  mischievous  subtlety  and  address,  may,  and  alas ! 
often  does,  succeed  in  thwarting  and  frustrating  the  best  concerted 
schemes;  overturning  the  most  prudent  and  beneficial  regulations ; 
effectually  embarrassing  the  wisdom  of  the  wise ;  and  impeding 
the  efforts  of  the  benevolent ;  and  thus  producing  the  most  serious 
and  incalculable  injury. 

The  influence  of  one  truly  wise  and  good  man  may  be  very  ex- 
tensive, both  upon  the  temporal  and  the  spiritual  condition  of 
others;  in  preventing  evil,  and  in  promoting  personal  and  social 
happiness.  But  how  much  good,  on  the  contrary,  may  not  one 
sinner  destroy !  and  how  much  positive  evil  may  he  not  be  the 
instrument  of  working !  How  often  has  such  a  man  broken  the 
peace  and  ruined  the  comfort  of  families,  which  might  otherwise 
have  remained  united  and  happy !  How  often  has  he  sown  in 
secret  the  seeds  of  jealousy  and  discord  in  a  circle  of  friends  and 
21 


322  LECTURE    XVIII. 

acquaintances!  How  often  fanned  the  flame  of  discontent,  se- 
dition, and  rebellion,  in  a  community  enjoying  a  happy  measure 
of  peace,  freedom,  and  prosperity!  How  often  has  he  blasted 
characters  by  defamation  and  slander,  and  thus  marred  and  de- 
stroyed extensive  usefulness!  How  often,  by  falsehood  and  mis- 
representation, has  he  imposed  on  others,  to  the  loss  of  their  pro- 
perty, the  ruin  of  their  affairs,  and  the  consequent  distress  of  them- 
selves and  families !  How  often — But  time  would  fail  me  to  enu- 
merate all  the  ways  in  which  a  sinner  may  destroy  temporal  good. 
Then,  when  we  think  of  the  good  he  may  destroy,  and  the  evil 
he  may  occasion,  of  a  spiritual  kind,  how  weightily  must  the  ob- 
servation be  felt  by  every  serious  mind !  By  plausible  and  so- 
phistical, but  palatable  and  seductive  reasonings,  he  may  shake 
and  root  out  the  half-formed  principles  of  the  unestablished  in- 
quirer, acting  as  Satan's  instrument  in  "catching  away  what  has 
been  sown  in  his  heart;"  by  his  example,  his  counsel,  his  sneers, 
and  his  flatteries,  by  adorning  in  captivating  and  alluring  colors 
the  pleasures  of  sin,  touching  by  ridicule  the  feelings  of  false  pride, 
representing  as  unreasonable  the  restraints  of  religion  and  virtue, 
praising  the  spirit,  and  working  on  the  vanity  of  his  victim,  he 
may  successfully  entice  the  young  and  unwary  to  criminal  in- 
dulgence, and  may  thus  baffle  the  efforts,  and  balk  the  delighted 
hopes,  of  godly  parents.  He  may  take  a  malignant  pleasure  in 
plying  his  arts  of  temptation  upon  the  more  established,  and  he 
may  exult  in  the  desolating  effects  of  his  occasional]success, — when 
a  godly  man  has  been  entangled  in  his  snares,  or  has  tripped  and 
fallen  over  any  of  his  stumbling-blocks,  and  has  thus  offended  the 
church  of  God,  opened  the  mouths  of  the  profane  to  scorn  and 
blasphemy,  and  hardened  the  infidel  in  his  unbelief,  and  the  trans- 
gressor in  his  course  of  sin.  He  may  set  himself  down  as  a  centre 
of  contagion,  and  may  spread  all  around  him  a  moral  and  spiritual 
pestilence,  counter-working  all  the  purifying,  salubrious,  and  life- 
giving  efforts  of  piety  and  benevolence,  of  parental  solicitude, 
ministerial  zeal,  and  private  philanthropy.  The  corruption  of 
one  may  spread  to  ten;  of  ten  to  a  hundred;  of  a  hundred  to  a 
thousand.  And  it  goes  down  through  succeeding  generations. 
The  corrupted  father  communicates  the  taint  to  his  children ;  and 
they  again  to  theirs.  So  that  the  pernicious  influence  of  "  one 
sinner"  that  lived  in  the  time  of  Solomon,  may  be  widely  felt, 


ECCLESIASTES   IX.    11-18.  8B8 

though  it  cannot  be  traced,  even  at  the  present  day;  and  the  mis- 
chief of  one  destroyer  of  good  amongst  ourselves,  may  continue 
and  increase  to  the  very  close  of  time ! 

My  Christian  brethren,  let  us  bear  in  mind,  that  this  infectious 
nature  of  sin  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  we  are  admonished  to  at- 
tend to  the  purity  of  fellowship  in  the  church  of  God.  "Know 
ye  not,  that  a  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump  ?  Purge  out, 
therefore,  the  old  leaven,  that  ye  may  be  a  new  lump,  as  ye  are 
unleavened.  For  even  Christ,  our  passover,  is  sacrificed  for  us. 
Therefore,  let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  old  leaven,  neither  with  the 
leaven  of  malice  and  Avickedness,  but  with  the  unleavened  bread 
of  sincerity  and  truth."  1  Cor.  v.  6-8.  "Looking  diligently,  lest 
any  man  fail  of  the  grace  of  God :  lest  any  root  of  bitterness, 
springing  up,  trouble  you,  and  thereby  many  be  defiled."  Heb. 
xii.  15.  O  let  us  beware  of  ever  fancying  there  can  be  safety, 
where  the  Lord  has  declared  there  is  danger.  We  are  not  suf- 
ficiently impressed  with  the  deceitfulness  of  our  own  hearts,  when 
we  entertain  such  a  thought.  Let  us  ever  cherish  humility  and 
self-vigilance ;  and  see  to  it  that  we  ourselves  be  promoters  and 
not  destroyers  of  good.  Let  us,  at  the  same  time,  in  the  united 
exercise  of  Christian  love  and  Christian  faithfulness,  guard  against 
the  wilful  admission  of  corruj^tion,  the  voluntary  implanting  of 
"  roots  of  bitterness ;"  and  when  corruption  has  been  unwittingly 
received,  and  has  subsequently  discovered  itself,  let  us  beware  of 
its  presumptuous  retention,  in  open-eyed  disobedience  to  the  will 
of  Christ;  self-sufficient  insensibility  to  our  own  danger;  and  dis- 
regard of  the  honor  of  his  name. 

Although  there  are  principles  in  our  nature,  as  fallen  creatures, 
which  render  the  work  of  the  sinner,  in  doing  evil  and  destroying 
good,  much  more  easy  than  that  of  the  wise  man  in  promoting 
good  and  repressing  evil,  yet  let  us  be  encouraged  in  all  our  bene- 
volent labors,  especially  those  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  others, 
by  considering  the  extent  of  possible  advantage  from  success  in 
a  single  instance.  The  seduction  of  one  is  fearful,  both  in  itself, 
and  in  the  sad  train  of  consequences  that  may  arise  from  it.  But 
let  us  not  forget  how  valuable,  in  itself  and  in  its  possible  results, 
is  the  conversion  and  salvation  of  one.  "  If  any  of  you  do  err 
from  the  truth,  and  one  convert  him,  let  him  know,  that  he  who 
converteth  the  sinner  from  tlie  error  of  his  way,  shall  save  a  soul 


324  LECTURE  xviri. 

from  death,  aud  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins."  Even  if  the  good 
stopped  here,  it  would  be  inestimably  precious;  for  "what  is  a 
man  profited,  if  he  should  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose  his  own 
soul?  or  what  shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul?"  But 
think  of  the  influence  of  this  individual  on  others,  in  the  family, 
in  the  circle  of  relatives  and  friends,  and  in  the  neighborhood  to 
which  he  belongs;  and,  through  them,  on  successive  generations 
to  the  end  of  time.  "He  established  a  testimony  in  Jacob,  and 
appointed  a  law  in  Israel,  which  he  commanded  our  fathers  that 
they  should  make  them  known  unto  their  children;  that  the  gene- 
ration to  come  might  know  them,  even  the  children  who  should 
be  born,  who  should  arise  and  declare  them  to  their  children ;  that 
they  might  set  their  hope  in  God,  and  not  forget  the  works  of 
God,  but  keep  his  commandments."  Psalm  Ixxviii.  5-7.  How 
animating  is  the  thought,  (and  there  is  no  enthusiastic  extravagance 
in  it,)  that  the  good  we  now  do  may  continue  to  be  felt,  aud  felt 
in  a  constantly  widening  circle,  till  the  last  trumpet  shall  sound ! — 
that  one  sinner  brought  back  to  God  may,  for  aught  we  can  tell, 
prove,  in  course  of  time,  the  salvation  of  thousands !  The  solitary 
seed  that  has  yielded  thirty,  sixty,  or  a  hundred  fold,  stops  not 
there.  Each  of  the  grains  of  its  produce  may  yield  the  same ;  and 
field  must  be  added  to  field  to  receive  the  accumulating  increase. 
Let  parents,  let  ministers,  let  Sabbath-school  teachers,  let  all  in 
their  raspective  spheres  of  spiritual  influence,  be  stimulated  by 
such  considerations  to  lively  and  persevering  exertions;  and  to 
the  seizure  of  every  opportunity,  on  which  prudence  lays  not  an 
evident  interdict,  of  "seeking  the  profit  of  others  that  they  may 
be  saved." 

Let  us  further  learn  from  this  passage,  to  beware  of  self-depend- 
ence. If  "  the  race  is  not  to  the  SNvift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong," 
then  ought  the  admonition  to  be  obeyed,  as  the  dictate  of  Divine 
wisdom  as  well  as  the  injunction  of  Divine  authority — "Trust  in 
the  Lord  with  all  thy  heart,  and  lean  not  unto  thine  own  under- 
standing. In  all  thy  ways  acknowledge  Him,  and  he  shall  direct 
thy  paths."  Fully  assured  that — although  to  us  the  future  is  un- 
certain, and  events  that  have  been  unanticipated  may  to  our  minds 
seem  accidental — there  is  no  such  thing  as  chance  or  fatalism,  but 
that  all  things  are  under  the  immediate  and  unceasing  superin- 
tendence of  an  all-wise  providence,  let  us  consider  it  as  our  part 


ECCLESIASTES   IX.    11-18.  325 

to  use  means,  to  look  to  God  for  liis  blessing,  and  to  leave  the 
issue  in  his  hands.  This  state  of  mind  is  the  most  consistent  at 
once  with  duty  and  with  happiness.  It  keeps  the  spirit  tranquil; 
disposed  to  gratitude  for  success,  and  at  the  same  time  prepared 
for  possible  disappointment;  "the  peace  of  God,  which  passethall 
understanding,  keeping  the  heart  and  mind  through  Christ  Jesus." 
As  we  ought  not  to  "boast  of  to-morrow,  because  we  know  not  what 
a  day  may  bring  forth ;"  so,  neither  should  we  be  over-anxious 
about  to-morrow,  because  we  may  be  distressing  ourselves  about 
what  we  are  never  to  see.  How  beautiful,  how  affectionate,  how 
persuasive,  and  how  full  of  argument,  the  Saviour's  exhortations 
to  his  disciples  against  all  anxious  concern  about  the  future  days 
of  life!  "Wherefore  I  say  unto  you,  Take  no  thought  for  your 
life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink ;  nor  yet  for  your 
body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat,  and 
the  body  than  raiment?  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air;  for  they  sow 
not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns;  yet  your  heavenly 
Father  feedeth  them.  Are  not  ye  much  better  than  they  ?  Which 
of  you,  by  taking  thought,  can  add  one  cubit  unto  his  stature? 
And  why  take  ye  thought  for  raiment?  Consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin  :  and  yet 
I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  ar- 
rayed like  one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of 
the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven, 
shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?  There- 
fore take  no  thought,  saying,  AVhat  shall  we  eat?  or.  What  shall 
we  drink?  or.  Wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?  (for  after  all 
these  things  do  the  Gentiles  seek  ;)  for  your  heavenly  Father  know- 
eth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  his  righteousness;  and  all  these  things  shall 
be  added  unto  you.  Take,  therefore,  no  thought  for  the  morrow; 
for  the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself.  Suf- 
ficient unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof."  Matt.  vi.  25-34. 

And  whilst  we  learn  the  lesson  of  dependence  on  God  respecting 
all  our  temporal  interests,  let  us  be  equally  on  our  guard  against 
depending  on  ourselves  in  our  Christian  course,  in  our  spiritual 
warfare, — in  "running  the  race  set  before  us," — in  "fighting  the 
good  fight  of  faith."  Our  speed  in  the  one,  our  courage  and 
strength  in  the  other,  and  our  victory  in  both,  must  come  from 


326  LECTURE    XVITI. 

above.  Divesting  ourselves  of  all  self-confidence,  let  our  trust  be 
in  Him  who  "giveth  power  to  the  faint,  and  to  them  that  have 
no  might  increaseth  strength.  Even  the  youths  shall  faint  and 
be  weary,  and  the  young  men  shall  utterly  fall:  but  they  that 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength ;  they  shall  mount 
up  with  wings  as  eagles;  they  shall  run,  and  not  be  weary;  they 
shall  walk,  and  not  faint."  Isa.  xl.  29-31. 

Further :  It  is  the  part  of  true  wisdom  to  be  prepared,  as  far 
as  its  precautions  can  reach,  against  possible  emergencies.  Let 
none  of  you,  then,  count  upon  life, — no,  not  for  an  hour; — for 
"man  knoweth  not  his  time."  Death  is  at  once  the  most  certain 
and  the  most  uncertain  of  all  things.  It  must  come;  but  ivhen, 
or  how,  O  who  shall  tell  us?  Every  one  of  us  has  his  "time," 
fixed  in  the  purpose  of  Him  who  "appoints  us  our  bounds,  that 
we  cannot  pass."  How  awful  will  it  be,  if  that  time  come  upon 
any  of  you  unawares! — if,  "as  the  fishes  are  taken  in  an  evil  net, 
and  the  birds  are  caught  in  the  snare,"  so  you  should  be  "snared 
in  an  evil  time,"  by  its  "falling  suddenly  upon  you."  Ah!  then 
will  it  be  to  you  an  evil  time  indeed !  O  ye  careless  children  of 
men,  who  are  treading  every  moment  on  the  verge  of  eternity, 
trifle  no  longer  with  its  infinitely  weighty  concerns ;  lest  it  should 
be  with  you  as  it  was  with  the  incredulous  and  infatuated  antedi- 
luvians, who  scorned  the  warning  voice  of  the  "  preacher  of  right- 
eousness." They  were  "  eating  and  drinking,  marrying  and  giving 
in  marriage,  until  the  day  that  Noah  entered  into  the  ark;  and 
knew  not  until  the  flood  came,  and  took  them  all  away."  Beware, 
then,  last  while  you  "say.  Peace  and  safety,  sudden  destruction 
should  come  upon  you!"  "  What  meanest  thou,  O  sleeper  ?  Arise, 
and  call  upon  thy  God"  to  save  thee  from  the  gathering  storm; 
for  the  elements  are  conspiring  thy  ruin.  Think  not  to  brave  it. 
Speed  thee  to  the  Ark  which  he  has  provided  for  thy  security,  and 
where  alone  thou  canst  be  safe.  Come  to  Jesus !  Make  him  thy 
refuge!     All  shall  then  be  well, — all  safe, — safe  for  eternity. 

And  ye,  brethren  in  the  Lord,  join  to  the  lesson  of  dependence 
on  God,  the  lesson  of  sleepless  vigilance.  It  was  not  to  men  of 
the  world,  but  even  to  his  own  disciples,  that  Christ  addressed 
the  warning, — "  Take  heed,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be  over- 
charged with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness,  and  the  cares  of  this 
life,  and  so  that  day  come  upon  you  unawares." — "Be  ye,  there- 


ECCLESIASTES   IX.    11-18.  327 

fore,  sober,  and  watch  unto  prayer."  Be  ever  at  your  respective 
posts,  in  the  service  of  your  Master :  and  then,  although  you  know 
not  the  time  of  his  coming,  it  will  never  be  to  you  "  an  evil  time." 
Whether  he  arrive  "at  even  or  at  midnight,  or  at  cock-crowing, 
or  in  the  morning,"  let  him  find  you  watching. 

In  occupying  your  talents  for  the  glory  of  God  and  for  the  good 
of  men,  you  may^not  always  meet  from  the  latter  with  a  suitable 
return.  This  "poor  wise  man,  who  by  his  wisdom  delivered  the 
city,"  had  he  been  again  placed  in  similar  circumstances,  might 
have  been  tempted  to  consult  his  own  preservation  only,  and  to 
leave  those  who  had  so  ungratefully  neglected  and  scorned  him, 
to  shift  for  themselves.  This  would  have  been  the  conduct  dicta- 
ted by  the  ordinary  principles  prevalent  in  the  world.  But  the 
Bible  teaches  a  lesson  more  disinterested  and  generous.  We  must 
not  be  "weary  in  well-doing,"  even  to  those  from  whom  we  may 
have  met  with  a  sorry  recompense.  Let  your  eye  be  directed,  not 
to  men,  but  to  him  who  "  is  not  unrighteous,  to  forget  your  work 
and  labor  of  love,  which  ye  show  toward  his  Name;"  and  his 
example  is  to  be  the  model  from  which  you  are  to  copy : — "  Love 
your  enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  who  despitefuUy  use  you,  and  perse- 
cute you ;  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven :  for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust.  For  if  ye  love 
them  who  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do  not  even  the  pub- 
licans the  same?  And  if  ye  salute  your  brethren  only,  what  do 
ye  more  than  others  ?  do  not  even  the  publicans  so  ?  Be  ye  there- 
fore perfect,  even  as  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven  is  perfect." 
Matt.  V.  44-48. 


LECTURE  XIX 


ECCLESIASTES  X.    1-10. 

"  Dead  flies  cause  the  ointment  of  the  apothecary  to  send  forth  a  stinking  sa- 
vor: (so  doth)  a  little  folly  him  that  is  in  reputation  for  wisdom  (and) 
honor.  2.  A  wise  man's  heart  (is)  at  his  right  hand;  but  a  fool's  heart  at 
his  left.  3.  Yea  also,  when  he  that  is  a  fool  walketh  by  the  way,  his  wis- 
dom faileth  (him,)  and  he  saith  to  every  one  (that)  he  (is)  a  fool.  4.  If 
the  spirit  of  the  ruler  rise  uj)  against  thee,  leave  not  thy  place;  for  yielding 
pacifieth  great  offences.  5.  There  is  an  evil  (which)  I  have  seen  under  the 
sun,  as  an  error  (which)  proceedeth  from  the  ruler:  6.  Folly  is  set  in  great 
dignity,  and  the  rich  sit  in  low  place.  7.  I  have  seen  servants  upon  horses, 
and  princes  walking  as  servants  upon  the  earth.  8.  He  that  diggeth  a  pit 
shall  fall  into  it;  and  whoso  breaketh  a  hedge,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him.  9. 
Whoso  removeth  stones  shall  be  hurt  therewith;  (and)  he  that  cleaveth 
wood  shall  be  endangered  thereby.  10.  If  the  iron  be  blunt,  and  he  do  not 
whet  the  edge,  then  must  he  put  to  more  strength:  but  wisdom  (is)  profit- 
able to  direct." 

Having  spoken  of  the  excellence  of  wisdom,  Solomon  here  pro- 
ceeds to  lay  down  certain  maxims,  relative  both  to  its  advantages, 
and  to  the  mode  of  its  exercise. 

The  first  of  these  is  an  observation  founded  on  universal  ex- 
perience, and  arising  both  from  the  nature  of  tlie  thing,  and  from 
the  corruption  of  the  human  heart : — 

Verse  1.  Dead  flies  cause  the  ointment  of  the  apothecary  to  send 
forth  a  stinking  savoi^;  so  doth  a  little  folly  him  that  is  in  reputation 
for  wisdom  and  honor. 

When  tlie  apothecary  has  compounded  his  ointment  of  the  richest 
and  sweetest  ingredients,  with  much  skill,  and  care,  and  time ;  if 
flies  fall  into  it,  and  die  there,  and  putrify,  especially  in  a  hot 
climate,  they  will  destroy  its  plea.sant  fragrance,  and  produce  an 
oifensive  stench.  So,  when  a  man  has  acquired  a  high  reputation 
for  wisdom,  and  an  honorable  character,  the  higher  he  rises  in 


ECCLESIASTES   X.    1-10.  329 

public  estimation,  the  more  cautious  and  guarded  he  requires  to 
become  in  his  behavior :  for  "  a  little  folly "  will  mar,  and  may- 
even  ruin  his  good  name;  and  bring  him  to  neglect  and  disgrace. 
As  dead  flies  spoil  the  sweet  odor  of  the  ointment,  so  doth  "  a  little 
folly,"  a  remaining  foible,  a  comjjaratively  trifling  inconsistency, 
or  even  an  occasional  slip,  affect  the  character  of  the  man  who  "  is 
in  reputation  for  wisdom  and  honor." 

The  causes  of  this  do  not  lie  deep: — 

In  the  first  place.  In  proportion  to  the  hight  of  a  man's  repu- 
tation, he  attracts  notice.  The  eyes  of  others  are  upon  him.  The 
fool  passes  unheeded ;  nobody  minding  what  he  says  or  what  he 
does.  But  when  a  person  rises  to  eminence,  his  behavior  is  marked. 
It  becomes  the  subject  of  scrutiny  and  of  conversation.  An  im- 
portance attaches  to  whatever  he  is,  or  says,  or  does.  And  the 
more  eyes  are  fastened  on  a  man,  the  less  likely  is  any  infirmity 
or  fault  to  escape  detection  and  animadversion.  "A  city  that  is 
set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid." 

Secondly.  The  higher  a  man's  reputation  is,  the  more  is  expected 
of  him.  The  less  allowance,  consequently,  is  made  for  his  failings. 
That  which  in  an  ordinary  man  M'^ould  have  passed  unobserved, 
is  noticed  in  him  with  surprise  and  astonishment.  Instead  of  his 
defects  being  lost,  like  the  spots  in  the  sun,  amid  the  blaze  of  his 
excellences,  the  very  light  of  his  virtues  serves  to  give  them  relief 
and  prominence^  so  that  they  are  in  great  danger  of  proving  a 
counterbalance  to  all  his  estimable  qualities. 

Thirdly.  This  danger  is  ten-fold  increased  by  the  influence  of 
a  principle,  v/hich,  (alas  for  human  nature !)  is  too  welcome  a  guest, 
too  close  an  inmate  in  our  bosoms;  and  of  which  we  had  occasion, 
in  a  former  lecture,  to  expose  the  odious  nature  and  mischievous 
eifects, — I  mean  spite  and  envy.  It  is  the  malevolent  wish  of  envy, 
to  keep  down  a  rising  character  to  the  common  level.  We  are 
mortified  by  the  superiority  of  others,  especially  if,  by  talent  and 
diligence,  they  have  passed  ourselves  in  the  race  and  left  us  be- 
hind them.  It  is  its  aim  and  business,  both  to  depreciate  the 
merits,  and  to  magnify  the  faults,  of  its  objects;  and  eagerly  does 
it  avail  itself  of  "a  little  folly,"  marking  it  with  hawk-eyed 
keenness,  exposing  and  exaggerating  it,  setting  it  in  the  most  un- 
favorable lights,  associating  it  slily  and  malignantly  with  each  of 
the  person's  excellences,  not  so  as  to  hide  it  by  means  of  them,  but 


330  LECTURE  XIX. 

to  disparage  them  by  means  of  it,  and  in  every  way  improving  it 
to  the  discredit  and  the  ruin  of  his  reputation. 

Such  being  the  case,  the  obvious  improvement  which  should  be 
made  of  it  by  "the  man  who  is  in  reputation  for  wisdom  and 
honor"  is,  to  "ponder  the  path  of  his  feet," — to  be  very  circum- 
spect and  very  consistent.  This  he  ought  to  aim  at  with  unre- 
mitting vigilance,  not  only  for  his  own  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of 
his  usefulness,  in  the  employment  of  his  wisdom  and  influence  for 
the  good  of  men,  and  for  the  glory  of  God ;  his  power  to  do  good 
being  necessarily  proportioned  to  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held. 

Solomon's  next  observation  regards  the  advantage  of  the  wise 
man  over  the  fool,  in  the  management  of  all  descriptions  of  busi- 
ness : — 

Verses  2,  3.  A  wise  man's  heart  is  at  his  right  hand;  but  afooVs 
heart  is  at  his  left.  Yea,  also,  u-hen  he  that  is  a  fool  walheth  by  the 
way,  his  wisdom  faileth  him,  and  he  saith  to  every  one  that  he  is  a 
fool 

It  is  evident  from  the  connection,  that  the  heart  in  this  place, 
as  in  many  other  instances  in  the  Scriptures,  means  the  judgment 
or  understanding  of  man.  It  is  the  same  word  that,  in  the  third 
verse,  is  rendered  icisdom;  "His  wisdom  faileth  him,"  being,  in 
the  original,  "his  heart  faileth  him."  The  "right  hand"  is  the 
hand  which  men  usually  employ,  in  works  both  of  labor  and  of 
skill;  and  which  they  use  with  the  greatest  readiness,  dexterity, 
and  success.  The  expression,  therefore,  in  the  second  verse,  "A 
wise  man's  heart  is  at  his  right  hand,  but  a  fool's  heart  is  at  his 
left," — seems  to  mean — First:  That  a  wise  man  minds  his  own 
proper  business;  whereas  the  fool  neglects  what  belongs  to  him- 
self, and  is  exceedingly  officious,  intermeddling,  and  full  of  saga- 
cious counsel,  in  every  one's  concerns  but  his  own.  Any  wisdom 
he  has  is  "at  his  left  hand:"  it  is  applied  in  the  wrong  place. — 
Secondly:  The  understanding  of  the  wise  man  is  at  all  times  ready 
for  his  immediate  direction, — "at  his  right  hand."  So  that,  being 
steadily  applied  to  its  proper  business,  it  is  prepared  to  meet  times 
of  emergency,  and  to  act  as  circumstances  direct,  so  as  not  to  ruin 
or  even  injure  his  affairs,  either  by  imprudent  precipitation  or  un- 
necessary delay.  The  fool,  on  the  contrary,  is  ever  uncertain; 
ever  at  a  loss ;  all  hesitation  and  perplexity.  His  wisdom  is  al- 
ways to  seek.     It  is  never  to  be  found  at  home:  but  is  continually 


ECCLESIASTES  X.  1-10.  331 

roaming  abroad  among  a  thousand  matters  with  which  he  has 
nothing  to  do :  so  that,  in  his  own  proper  concerns  he  is  incessantly- 
taken  at  unawares,  startled,  disconcerted,  stupified ;  and  the  mo- 
ment of  needful  action  being  lost,  his  affairs  are  irretrievably  dis- 
ordered.— Thirdly:  That  which  the  wise  man  does,  his  wisdom 
enables  him  to  do  loell — with  shill  and  dexterity — (a  word  derived 
from  the  very  circumstance  of  the  right  hand  being  the  hand  of 
promptitude  and  skill,)* — whereas  the  fool,  when  he  does  any  thing 
at  all,  does  it  with  his  left  hand ;  not  only  applying  any  little  frag- 
ments of  wisdom  he  may  possess,  in  a  wrong  direction,  but  bung- 
ling, blundering,  and  failing,  even  in  that  whicii  he  attempts. 

The  fool  has  not  even  so  much  wisdom  as  to  conceal  his  folly. 
"When  he  walketh  by  the  way," — that  is,  in  the  whole  of  his 
ordinary  intercourse  with  men, — in  the  daily  concerns  of  common 
life, — "  his  wisdom  faileth  him,  and  he  saith  to  every  one  that  he 
is  a  fool."  He  cannot  meet  a  neighbor  on  the  road  without  mak- 
ing an  exposure  of  his  folly.  By  some  ridiculous  speech  or  out- 
of-the-way  action,  he  makes  the  vacancy  or  the  distortion  of  his 
mind  as  apparent  as  if  he  were  to  say  to  every  one,  "I  am  a  fool." 
He  blabs  out  imprudently  and  inconsiderately  what  he  does  know, 
without  regard  to  time,  place,  or  company ;  or  he  talks  ignorantly 
and  absurdly  of  what  he  does  not  know.  By  his  words,  by  his 
actions,  or  by  his  manner  in  both,  he  tells  to  all  his  folly,  exposing 
himself  to  the  2)ity  of  some,  and  to  the  contempt  and  derision  of 
others.  .Nobody  respects  him ;  nobody  can  place  any  dependence 
upon  him,  or  commit  any  business  to  his  care. 

The  fourth  verse  contains  one  of  the  counsels  of  wisdom : — 

Verse  4,  If  the  spirit  of  the  ruler  rise  up  against  thee,  leave  not 
thy  ptlcice;  for  yielding  pacifieth  great  offences. 

It  is  very  similar  to  the  advice  in  chap.  viii.  3, — "Be  not  hasty 
to  go  out  of  his  sight;  stand  not  in  an  evil  thing;  for  he  doeth 
whatsoever  pleaseth  him." 

The  case  brought  before  us  is  that  of  a  real  or  supposed  fault 
on  the  part  of  a  subject,  by  which  the  anger  of  his  prince  has  been 
excited.  In  such  circumstances,  a  proud  and  hasty  fool  would  in- 
stantly throw  up  his  place,  avow  himself  a  rebel,  and  endanger 
his  head.  Wisdom  will  act  a  different  part.  "Leave  not  thy 
place :" — do  not  rashly  and  passionately  quit  the  prince's  presence 

*Latin-Dexter. 


332  LECTURE    XIX. 

and  renounce  his  service.  If  you  have  committed  the  fault,  frank 
and  ingenuous  confession  is  more  than  your  interest, — it  is  your 
incumbent  duty.  If  you  have  not,  yield  a  little  in  the  mean  time, 
and  take  a  more  favorable  opportunity  afterwards,  when  "the 
spirit  of  the  ruler "  is  calmer,  and  more  disposed  to  listen  to  rea- 
son and  right,  of  clearing  your  character,  and  establishing  your 
innocence.  Do  not  argue  with  an  angry  man;  and  least  of  all 
with  an  angry  prince.  Let  him  have  time  to  cool.  "Yielding 
pacifieth  great  offences."  It  settles  them,  and  brings  them  to  rest. 
There  is  a  vast  deal  more  to  be  gained  by  meekness  and  [gentle- 
ness, and  by  a  little  calm  prudence  and  management,  than  by  re- 
sentful and  intemperate  violence. 

Rulers,  it  is  acknowledged  by  the  Royal  Preacher,  do  not  al- 
ways conduct  themselves  agreeably  to  the  dictates  of  true  wisdom, 
or  in  a  manner  in  all  respects  calculated  to  fix  the  affectionate  re- 
gards of  their  subjects.  One  evil,  fitted  to  give  dccasion  for  much 
envy  and  jealousy,  contempt  and  wrath,  he  specifies  in 

Verses  5-7.  There  is  an  evil  tvhich  I  have  seen  under  the  sun,  as 
an  error  tchich proceedeth  from  the  rider.  Folly  is  set  in  great  digni- 
ty, and  the  rich  sit  in  loio  place.  I  have  seen  servants  wpon  horses, 
and  princes  wcdking  as  servants  upon  the  earth. 

The  evil  which  is  animadverted  on  in  these  words  is  the  ca- 
pricious and  nnreasonable  advancement  of  ignorant  and  incapa- 
ble minions  from  a  low  to  a  high  station ;  from  inferiority  and 
subjection  to  eminence  and  authority ;  whilst  the  nobles  of  the 
land,  who,  from  their  birth,  and  wealth,  and  influence,  might  be 
supposed  destined  to  high  place,  and  by  their  education,  and  the 
study  of  the  law,  and  government,  and  politics  of  their  country, 
qualified  for  elevation  and  rule,  are  overlooked  and  degraded, 
being  set  beneath  the  indigent,  and  empty,  and  despicable  upstart; 
so  that  while  a  servant, — or  rather  a  slave, — rides  in  all  the  pomp 
of  pageantry  and  state,  princes  and  nobles  walk — as  his  inferiors 
and  attendants — on  foot.  This  was  far  from  being  a  very  un- 
common case  under  the  despotic  governments  of  the  East;  slaves 
of  the  palace  being  not  unfrequently,  from  caprice,  partiality,  or 
secret  selfishness,  advanced  to  the  highest  ranks,  to  look  down,  in 
haughty  superciliousness,  on  their  natural  and  deserving  superiors. 

The  passage  is  not  to  be  interpreted  as  if  it  precluded  men  of 
low  degree  from  mounting  by  their  own  merit,  gradually  and 


ECCLESIASTES    X.    1-10.  333 

fairly,  by  successive  steps  of  advancement,  even  to  the  highest  aftd 
most  honorable  offices  of  the  state.  The  evil  consists  in  elevating 
the  low,  not  merely  from  a  low  station,  but  from  such  a  station 
accompanied  with  incapacity: — "Folly  is  set  in  great  dignity." 
Uneducated,  inexperienced,  narrow-minded,  and  imprudent  men; 
as  low  in  mental  character  as  base  in  birth  and  in  station;  are 
suddenly  exalted  to  superiority  and  power,  by  senseless  or  un- 
principled favoritism.  Such  men  have  disgraced  their  unseemly 
dignity,  by  mean,  mercenary,  imperious,  rash,  and  ruinous  mis- 
conduct. For,  in  most  instances,  such  upstarts  in  the  state  turn 
out  not  merely  fools,  but  insolent  and  overbearing  tyrants. 

Many  a  time  has  such  conduct  brought  shame  and  ruin,  not  on 
the  favorite  himself  only,  but  on  his  imprudent  master,  accom- 
panied sometimes,  also,  with  serious  calamity  to  the  state:  and 
the  language  of  the  following  verse  might  be  considered  as  referring 
to  the  foolishness  of  such  a  ruler ;  who,  in  degrading  his  nobles, 
and  exalting  his  unworthy  minion,  digs  a  pit  for  himself: — Verse 
8.  "He  that  diggeth  a  pit  shall  fall  into  it;  and  whoso  breaketh 
a  hedge,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him." 

The  eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth  verses,  however,  taken  together, 
may  be  more  naturally  interpreted,  as  a  caution  against  rash,  in- 
considerate rebellion; — precipitate,  ill-advised,  ill-concerted,  and 
ill-conducted  attempts,  to  overturn  or  to  alter  the  established 
government  of  a  country.  Such  attempts  can  never  be  made 
without  imminent  hazard  to  him  who  ventures  upon  them : — 

Verses  8-10.  He  that  diggeth  a  p)it  shall  fall  into  it;  and  he  that 
breaheth  a  hedge,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him.  Whoso  removeth  stones 
shall  be  hurt  thereioith;  and  he  that  cleaveth  icood  shall  be  endangered 
thereby.  If  the  iron  be  blunt,  and  he  do  not  ichet  the  edge,  then  must 
he  put  to  more  strength: — but  wisdom  is  profitable  to  direct. 

Even  with  regard  to  such  a  court  minion  as  has  above  been  de- 
scribed, the  patriotic  desire  to  bring  him  down  from  his  elevation, 
and  to  deliver  the  country  from  the  mischiefs  his  folly  inflicts  upon 
it,  may  be  attended  with  no  little  danger  in  the  attempt  at  its  ac- 
complishment. The  man  who  violently  seeks  his  downfall  may 
bring  injury,  and  possibly  even  death,  upon  himself. 

But  the  verses  have  a  general  and  strong  application  to  those 
who  give  way  to  the  suggestions  of  pride  and  resentment  for  real 
or  fancied  injuries,  and  are  driven  on,  by  intemperate  discontent, 


334  LECTURE  XIX. 

to  schemes  of  sedition,  or  open  rebellion.  When  a  man  digs  a  pit, 
there  is  a  risk  of  his  falling  into  it  himself.  So  when  either  a 
ruler  becomes  a  tyrant,  or  a  subject  a  rebel,  the  oppressive  abuse 
of  power  endangers  the  safety  of  the  one,  and  the  resistance  of 
lawful  authority  that  of  the  other.  The  violent  dealing  both  of 
the  tyrant  and  of  the  rebel,  is  ever  ready  to  come  down  upon  their 
own  heads.  All  history  concurs  to  show  us,  how  both  the  one 
and  the  other  have  "  digged  pits  "  for  themselves, — falling  victims 
to  their  own  lawless  passions,  or  to  their  inconsideration  and  rash- 
ness; the  retributive  justice  of  Divine  providence  frequently  dis- 
playing itself,  in  infatuating  wicked  men,  in  leaving  them  to 
outwit  themselves,  and  to  be  "snared  in  the  works  of  their  own 
hands." 

The  man  who  "breaks  a  hedge," — an  old  hedge,  where  serpents 
are  wont  to  lurk, — may  expect  to  be  bitten :  so  he  who  attempts 
incautiously  to  break  down  or  to  root  up  the  ancient  fences  and 
boundaries  of  law  and  government,  is  in  imminent  jeopardy  of 
receiving  deadly  stings ; — either  bringing  down  premature  ven- 
geance upon  his  head  from  the  existing  powers,  or  involving 
himself  in  ruin  by  the  disturbances  which  he  excites. 

"Whoso  removeth  stones" — from  a  building,  for  instance,  with 
the  view  of  pulling  it  down, — "shall  be  hurt  therewith;"  the 
stones  falling  upon  him,  bruising  him,  and  breaking  his  bones, — 
especially  if  he  goes  to  work  in  a  hasty  and  unskilful  manner,  or 
attempts  the  removal  of  what  is  too  heavy  for  his  strength : — so 
the  man  who  sets  himself  to  pull  down  or  to  alter  the  fabric  of 
the  constitution  and  government  of  a  country,  undertakes  a  work 
of  no  light  or  trifling  difficulty,  and  a  work  always  of  hazard  to 
himself,  and  very  often  of  fearfully  doubtful  benefit  to  others.  It 
is  a  vast  deal  easier  to  find  fault  than  to  mend;  to  complain  of  what 
is  wrong,  than  to  substitute  what  is  right ;  to  pull  down  an  old 
house,  than  to  build  up  a  new  one. 

"And  he  that  cleaveth  wood  shall  be  endangered  therewith." 
In  all  cases  there  is  risk  of  this.  But  the  risk  is  various  in  de- 
gree ;  and  it  is  especially  great,  when  a  man  sets  about  his  work 
with  bad  tools: — 

Verse  10.  "If  the  iron  be  blunt,  and  he  do  not  whet  the  edge, 
then  must  he  put  to  more  strength;"  and  the  more  strength  he  is 
obliged  to  apply,  the  hazard  of  accident  becomes  the  more  immi- 


ECCLESIASTES   X.  1-10.  335 

nent.  So  is  it  with  the  man  who  presumes  to  act  the  part  of  a 
corrector  of  errors,  and  reformer  of  abuses,  without  natural  ca- 
pacity; without  experience  and  skill;  without  adequate  and  well- 
prepared  means:  or  who  attempts  to  accomplish  by  force  and 
violence  what  he  cannot  effect  by  prudence  and  management.  The 
peril  to  himself  is  thus  tenfold  augmented,  and  along  with  the 
peril  to  himself,  the  hazard  of  mischief  to  others. 

But  in  these,  and  in  all  other  matters,  "wisdom  is  profitable  to 
direct."  It  is  of  use  to  guide  us  in  the  whole  of  our  conduct, 
according  to  the  circumstances  which  providence  allots  us: — to 
"direct"  to  the  most  proper  objects  of  desire  and  pursuit,  and  to 
the  best  means  of  attaining  them ;  to  the  most  eligible  method  of 
employing  these  means,  and  to  the  most  suitable  time  for  their  ap- 
plication. All  these  come  within  the  province  of  wisdom;  and 
to  all  these  due  attention  is  necessary,  in  order  to  good  being  done 
effectually  and  safely  without  failure  and  shame,  and  without 
concomitant  or  subsequent  mischief. 

1.  Allow  me,  before  closing — in  the  first  place;  to  apply  the  ob- 
servation in  the  the  first  verse  of  the  chapter,  in  a  more  particular 
manner,  to  Christian  character. — "  A  good  name,"  it  is  said  in  the 
beginning  of  the  seventh  chapter,  "is  better  than  precious  oint- 
ment." In  proportion  to  its  value,  it  should  be  preserved  with 
care ;  as  the  apothecary  will  be  anxious,  according  to  the  fineness 
and  costliness  of -his  perfume,  to  keep  it  from  dead  flies,  and  every 
other  means  of  deterioration  and  corruption.  It  is  precious  in 
itself,  and  ought  to  be  carefully  retained  for  its  own  sake.  It  is 
precious  on  account  of  the  happy  influence  imparted  by  it,  in  en- 
forcing all  a  man's  instructions,  and  counsels,  and  attempts  at 
usefulness;  and  should  be  cherished  for  the  sake  of  its  effects. 
"When  a  man  possesses  a  high  character  as  a  Cheistian,  he  is 
"  in  reputation  for  wisdom  and  honor  "  of  the  most  excellent  kind. 
This  is  "a  good  name"  indeed; — the  best  it  is  possible  to  enjoy. 
It  is  like  that  sacred  ointment,  compounded  by  the  instructions  of 
Ood  himself,  which  was  to  be  applied  to  no  common  or  profane 
use,  and  of  which  no  imitation  was  permitted  to  be  made.  O  my 
Christian  brethren,  of  what  importance  is  it,  for  the  honor  of  God 
our  Saviour,  and  for  the  best  interests  of  our  fellow-men,  that  we 
preserve  this  reputation  untainted !  When  David,  by  his  fall, 
^'gave  occasion  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme,"  he  did 


336  LECTURE    XIX. 

essential  injury  to  both;  injury  that  has  never  been  repaired  even 
to  this  day : — for  his  recorded  sin  is  still  the  sneer  of  the  scoffing 
infidel,  and  the  encouragement  of  the  determined  oiFender.  O 
seek,  earnestly  and  importunately  seek,  those  supplies  of  grace 
that  are  needful,  for  enabling  you  to  maintain  a  steady  consistency, 
— to  keep  your  garments  clean,  amid  the  pollutions  of  a  defiled 
and  defiling  world, — to  keep  the  sweet  perfume  of  your  Christian 
virtues  free  from  the  corruption  of  ofiensive  incongruities.  Re- 
member, the  eyes  of  the  men  of  the  world  are  intently  fixed  on 
those  whom  the  blessed  Redeemer  has  "chosen  out  of  the  world," 
and  who  profess  to  have  separated  themselves  from  its  sins  and  its 
vanities.  They  watch  them  narrowly.  They  are  acute  detectors 
of  inconsistency.  They  have  a  malignant  satisfaction  in  the  dis- 
covery of  evil;  and,  when  a  discovery  is  made,  there  are  no  bounds 
to  the  severity  of  their  censure ;  they  know  not  what  it  is  to  make 
allowances.  It  speedily  circulates,  gathering  aggravations  in  its 
progress.  It  is  commented  on  with  all  the  keenness  of  invective, 
and  all  the  bitterness  of  sarcasm;  with  the  sneer,  the  shrug,  the 
wink,  the  smile  of  irony,  the  sallies  of  satirical  humor,  and  the 
loud  laugh  of  jesting  and  buifoonery.  The  unhappy  transgressor 
may  have  "wept  a  silent  flood;  his  penitent  spirit  may  have  been 
"  pierced  through  with  many  sorrows ;"  he  may  have  "  confessed  his 
transgression  to  the  Lord,"  and  found  forgiveness  at  the  foot  of  the 
cross.  But  the  evil  he  has  done  to  others  may  be  beyond  remedy. 
And  remember,  my  brethren,  it  is  not  by  gross  sins  alone  that 
your  Christian  reputation  and  usefulness  may  be  injured.  Flaws 
and  defects,  and  failings,  which  in  others  would  pass  unnoticed, 
may  be  marked  and  magnified  in  you.  The  unguarded  liberty 
of  a  single  hour  may  sink  in  the  scale  the  character  acquired  in 
successive  years ;  and  even  a  foible  may  mar  your  influence,  and 
be  like  the  dead  fly  in  the  ointment  of  the  apothecary.  The  higher 
you  stand  in  situation  and  repute,  the  greater  is  your  danger,  and 
the  more  imperative  the  call  to  vigilant  self-jealousy. — Be  you 
ever  so  watchful,  it  is  true,  you  may  be  the  victims  of  calumny 
and  false  accusation;  but  let  it  be  your  constant  aim,  with  the 
implored  aid  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  "abstain  from  all  apjjearance 
of  evil,"  and  to  " cut  off  occasion  from  those  who  desire  occasion" 
against  yourselves,  and  against  the  Master  %vhom  you  serve.  "Walk 
in  wisdom  toward  them  that  are  without,  redeeming  the  time.    Let 


ECCLESIASTES   X.  1-10.  337 

your  speech  be  always  with  grace,  seasoned  with  salt,  that  ye  may 
know  how  ye  ought  to  answer  every  man." — "Sanctify  the  Lord 
God  in  your  hearts;  and  be  ready  always  to  give  an  answer  to 
•every  man  that  asketh  you  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you, 
with  meekness  and  fear :  having  a  good  conscience ;  that,  whereas 
they  speak  against  you  as  of  evil-doers,  they  may  be  ashamed  that 
falsely  accuse  your  good  conversation  in  Christ."  Col.  iv.  5,  6. 
1  Pet.  iii.  15,  16. 

2.  Secondly ;  If  a  wise  man's  heart  is  at  his  right  hand,  and  a 
fooFs  heart  at  his  left,  there  is  one  most  important  particular  in 
which  all  are  by  nature  fools;  and  the  grace  of  God  alone  corrects 
the  folly. — There  is  one  object,  about  which  every  man  whose 
understanding  is  not  miserably  perverted,  must  feel  a  special 
solicitude;  and  for  which,  calculating  on  the  principles  of  common 
prudence,  every  thing  else  ought  to  be  cheerfully  sacrificed.  Yet 
while  "  all  things  are  full  of  labor,"  the  diversified  toils  of  men 
are  almost  exclusively  for  "  the  meat  that  perisheth."  How  few 
comparatively  mind  the  gracious  injunction,  to  "labor  for  that 
which  endureth  to  eternal  life!"  This  is  a  description  of  labor 
to  which  men  have  no  natural  inclination ;  in  M'hich,  alas !  every 
man's  heart  is  "at  his  left  hand."  He  either  neglects  it  altogether, 
or  he  sets  about  it  on  false  princijjles,  and  in  a  wrong  way.  The 
truly  wise  man,  the  man  whose  heart  is  "  at  his  right  hand,"  con- 
siders immortality  as  incomparably  the  most  important  concern 
of  an  immortal  creature;  and  the  service  of  God,  in  whatever 
sphere  he  occupies,  as  his  happiness  and  his  honor.  To  this 
service  he  applies  his  right  hand;  employing  in  it  all  his  power 
and  all  his  skill. — And  whilst  he  pursues  the  highest  of  all  aims, 
he  does  it  according  to  the  directions  of  a  wisdom  sujDcrior  to  his 
own.  The  fool  may  attempt  to  serve  God  in  his  own  way  and  in 
his  own  strength,  and  to  attain  immortal  life  on  the  ground  of 
his  own  fancied  merits.  But  the  wise  man,  impressed  with  the 
presumption  and  vanity  of  all  such  attempts  on  the  part  of  sinful 
creatures,  guilty,  condemned,  and  without  strength,  accepts,  with 
gratitude,  the  offers  of  mercy.  Instead  of  "  going  about  to  estab- 
lish his  own  righteousness;"  trying  to  make  out  a  condition  of 
life  which  he  has  already  violated;  forming  and  breaking  un- 
profitable resolutions ;  he  "  submits  himself  to  the  righteousness 
of  God," — "the  righteousness  which  is  by  faith."  "Accepted  in 
22 


338  LECTURE  XIX. 

the  beloved,"  lie  gives  himself  to  God  in  active  service,  uuder  the 
impulse  of  grateful  love.  His  right  hand,  and  all  the  powers  of 
his  mind  directing  its  efforts,  are  devoted  to  his  new  Master.  He 
follows  implicitly  the  dictates  of  his  will ;  throwing  aside  his  own 
inventions  and  reasonings,  and  pursuing  Divine  ends  by  Divine 
means;  seeking  God's  glory  in  God's  own  way;  and  never  pre- 
suming that  he  can  improve  upon  the  counsels  of  Heaven.  AVhen 
he  acts  otherwise  than  thus,  his  "heart  is  at  his  left  hand."  "Let 
no  man  deceive  himself.  If  any  man  among  you  seemeth  to  be 
wise  in  this  world,  let  him  become  a  fool  that  he  may  be  wise. 
For  the  wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolishness  with  God;  for  it  is 
Avritten,  He  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness:  and  again. 
The  Lord  knoweth  the  thoughts  of  the  wise,  that  they  are  vain." 
If,  instead  of  humbly  abiding  by  the  instructions  given  us,  we 
begin  to  devise  rules  and  to  follow  methods  of  our  own,  it  will  turn 
out  in  the  end  only  an  exhibition  of  our  folly.  It  ^\\\\  be  "saying 
to  every  one  that  we  are  fools."  And  instead  of  whatsoever  we 
do  prospering,  nothing  can  be  anticipated  from  our  schemes  but 
failure  and  shame. 

3.  Thirdly ;  Observe  the  manner  in  which  all  offences  and  dif- 
ferences should  be  managed,  if  our  object  be  to  heal,  and  to  restore 
confidence  and  peace.  The  advice  and  sentiment  in  the  fourth 
verse  may  be  profitably  generalized.  You  may  not  be  called 
to  "Stand  before  kings,"  and  to  incur  the  displeasure  of  rulers. 
But  in  all  the  various  intercourse  of  life, — in  the  family,  in  the 
church,  in  the  world, — bear  in  mind  the  maxim,  that  "yielding 
pacifieth  great  offences."  Nothing  is  to  be  gained  by  proud  defi- 
ance and  angry  violence;  by  the  display  of  an  unbending  spirit; 
a  spirit  that  scorns  to  confess  its  own  faults,  and  that  seems  to  stoop 
and  condescend,  with  haughty  superciliousness,  in  receiving  the 
acknowledgments  of  others.  A  gentle,  yielding  spirit  is  the  spirit 
of  conciliation  and  harmony.  Anger  irritates  and  inflames  the 
wound ;  meekness  mollifies,  cleanses,  and  heals  it.  Resentful  pride 
adds  fury  to  the  storm ;  a  mild  demeanor  changes  it  to  a  calm. 
By  the  pouring  on  of  oil  we  may  smooth  the  wave,  which  we 
should  lash  and  rebuke  in  vain.  "Put  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect 
of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  bowels  of  mercies,  kindness,  humbleness 
of  mind,  meekness,  long-suffering;  forbearing  one  another  and 


ECCLESIASTES    X.    1-10.  339 

forgiving  one  another,  if  any  man  have  a  quarrel  against  any; 
even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also  do  ye.  And  above  all  these 
things  put  on  love,  which  is  the  bond  of  perfectness:  and  let  the 
peace  of  God  rule  in  your  hearts,  to  the  which  also  ye  arc  called 
in  one  body;  and  be  ye  thankful."  Col.  iii.  12-15. 

4.  Fourthly ;  It  is  a  good  general  principle,  reasonable  in  its 
nature,  and  beneficial  in  its  application,  that  every  man  keep 
within  his  own  sphere  in  society,  discharging  its  duties  witli  hu- 
mility, and  judging  others  with  candor. — Public  men  are  exposed 
to  many  and  strong  temptations;  and  on  many  occasions,  amidst 
the  contending  interests  of  the  members  of  their  own  community, 
and  the  relative  claims  of  foreign  states,  cannot  fail  to  be  environed 
with  perplexing  difficulties.  We  certainly  expect  more  than  is 
reasonable,  if  we  imagine  they  are  never  to  err,  or  that  their  errors 
are  always  to  be  trivial.  Let  us  place  ourselves  in  their  situation, 
and,  sensible  of  the  deceitfulness  of  our  own  hearts,  and  of  our 
liableness  to  err  and  to  be  imposed  upon  even  in  the  little  coticerns 
of  common  life,  let  us  not  be  extravagant  in  our  expectations,  or 
harsh  and  contemptuous  in  our  judgments. — Not  that  princes  and 
the  administrators  of  government  are  never  to  be  told  of  their 
errors,  and  of  the  dangers  and  the  mischiefs  to  which  the  country 
is  exposed  by  their  misrule.  Only  let  us  be  diffident  and  candid, 
and  ready  to  make  fair  and  reasonable  allowances. — And  let  us 
beware  of  rash  and  hasty  interference.  There  are  few  things  in 
which  consideration  and  caution  are  more  imperiously  rei [aired, 
than  the  redress  of  grievances  and  the  reformation  of  abases. 
Resentment  and  pride  are  dangerous  counsellors;  and  tneasares 
of  precipitation  and  violence  are  seldom  either  equitable  or  expe- 
dient. Those  men  are  often  the  most  forward  with  their  schemes 
and  their  offers  of  aid,  who  are  least  qualified  for  the  work,  and 
least  aware  either  of  the  difficulties  of  its  execution,  or  of  the 
problematical  uncertainty  of  its  consequences. — The  body  politic, 
like  the  animal  body,  will  ever  be  most  vigorous  and  thriving, 
when  all  the  members  keep  their  proper  places,  and  duly  ftilfill 
their  respective  functions.  And  the  same  similitude  is  applied  by 
inspired  authority  to  the  church,  or  the  body  of  Christ.  "  The  body 
is  not  one  member,  but  many.  If  the  foot  shall  say.  Because  I  am 
not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the 


340  LECTURE    XIX. 

body?  And  if  the  ear  shall  say,  Because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am 
not  of  the  body;  is  it  therefore  not  of  the  body?  If  the  whole 
body  were  an  eye,  where  were  the  hearing?  and  if  the  whole  were 
hearing,  where  were  the  smelling?  But  now  hath  God  set  the 
members  every  one  of  them  in  the  body  as  it  hath  pleased  him. — 
And  the  eye  cannot  say  unto  the  hand,  I  have  no  need  of  thee; 
Qor  again,  the  liead  to  the  feet,  I  have  no  need  of  you. — That 
there  should  be  no  schism  in  the  body ;  but  that  all  the  members 
should  have  the  same  care  one  for  another.  And  whether  one 
member  suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it;  or  one  member  be 
honored,  all  the  members  rejoice  with  it."  1  Cor.  xii.  14-18,  21, 
25,  26. 

Beware,  especially,  of  intermeddling  with  others  from  envy,  or 
any  such  malignant  principle,  with  a  view  to  bring  them  down. 
Many  a  time,  in  such  cas&s,  has  the  saying  been  verified,  "He 
that  diggeth  a  pit  shall  fall  into  it."  In  the  secret  workings  of 
his  providence,  the  Lord  often  turns  into  foolishness  the  evil 
devices  of  men  against  one  another,  and  particularly  against  his 
own  people;  and  entangles  their  feet  in  the  meshes  of  their  own 
snares.  Haman  was  hanged  on  the  gallows  which  he  had  pre- 
pared for  Mordecai;  and  Mordecai,  whom  he  had  sought  to  crush, 
was  advanced  to  dignity  and  honor.  The  author  of  a  calumny 
digs  a  pit,  into  which  he  not  unfrequently  falls  himself.  He  pre- 
pares^a  grave  for  the  reputation  of  another,  and  he  who  propagates 
the  slander  assists  him  in  deepening  and  widening  it;  and  in  the 
issue  it  buries  his  own.  "Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged:  for 
with  what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged,  and  with  what 
measure  ye  mete,  it  shall  be  measured  to  you  again." — "  He  shall 
have  judgment  without  mercy  that  hath  showed  no  mercy." 
Matt.  vii.  1,  2.  James  ii.  13. 

Lastly.  Never  forget  whence  all  the  "wisdom"  that  is  "profit- 
able to  direct,"  and  especially  all  spiritual  understanding  of  truth 
and  duty,  must  be  sought  and  found:  "If  any  of  you  lack  wis- 
dom, let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  liberally,  and  up- 
braideth  not:  and  it  shall  be  given  him." — "The  wisdom  that  is 
from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  easy  to  be  in  treated, 
full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  without  partiality,  and  without 
hypocrisy." — "  For  this  cause  we  also  *  *  *  do  not  cease  to  pray 


ECCLESIASTES  X.  1-10.  341 

for  you,  and  to  desire  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  the  knowledge 
of  his  will,  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding;  that  ye 
might  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing,  beingTruitful 
in  every  good  work,  and  increasing  in  the  knowledge  of  God." — 
"Show  me  thy  ways,  O  Lord;  teach  me  thy  paths.  Lead  me  in 
thy  truth,  and  teach  me;  for  thou  art  the  God  of  my  salvation: 
on  thee  do  I  hope  all  the  day."  James  i.  5.  iii.  17.  Col.  i.  9/10. 
Psalm  XXV.  4,  5. 


LECTURE  XX, 


ECCLESIASTES  X.    11-20. 

''Surely  the  serpent  will  bite  without  enchantment ;  and  a  blabber  is  no  better. 
12.  The  words  of  a  wise  man's  mouth  (are)  gracious;  but  the  lips  of  a  fool 
will  swallow  up  himself.  13.  The  beginning  of  the  words  of  his  mouth  (is) 
foolishness:  and  the  end  of  his  talk  (is)  mischievous  madness.  14.  A  fool 
also  Is  full  of  words:  a  man  cannot  tell  what  shall  be;  and  what  shall  be 
after  him,  who  can  tell  him  ?  15.  The  labor  of  the  foolish  wearieth  every 
one  of  them,  because  he  knoweth  not  how  to  go  to  the  city.  16.  Woe  to 
thee,  O  land,  when  thy  king  (is)  a  child,  and  thy  princes  eat  in  the  morn- 
ing! 17.  Blessed  (art)  thou,  O  land,  when  thy  king  (is)  the  son  of  nobles, 
and  thy  princes  eat  in  due  season,  for  strength,  and  not  for  drunkenness! 
18.  By  much  slothfulness  the  building  decayeth;  and  through  idleness  of 
the  hands  the  house  droppeth  through.  19.  A  feast  is  made  for  laughter, 
and  wine  maketh  merry:  but  money  answereth  all  (things.)  20.  Curse  not 
the  king,  no  not  in  thy  thought;  and  curse  not  the  rich  in  thy  bed-cham- 
ber; for  a  bird  of  the  air  shall  carry  the  voice,  and  that  which  hath  wings 
shall  tell  the  matter." 

In  these  verses,  Solomon  pursues  the  same  general  train  of 
thought  as  in  those  which  precede;  comparing  together  the  re- 
spective qualities  and  effects  of  wisdom  and  folly. 

Verse  11.  Surely  the  serpent  loUl  bite  without  enchantment,  and  a 
babbler  is  no  better. 

There  is  in  these  words  an  allusion  to  a  practice  said  to  prevail 
in  the  East,  of  charming  adders  by  the  power  of  sounds,  fascina- 
ting them  by  musical  incantations,  and  rendering  them  for  the 
time  harmless  to  the  persons  who  handled  them.  There  are  re- 
ferences to  the  same  custom  in  other  parts  of  Scripture ;  and  the 
fact  is  vouched  by  considerable  authorities.  "Their  poison"  (the 
poison  of  wicked  men)  "  is  like  the  poison  of  a  serpent :  they  are 
like  the  deaf  adder,  that  stoppeth  her  ear ;  which  will  not  hearken 
to  the  voice  of  charmers,  charming  never  so  wisely." — "Behold, 


ECCLE8IA8TE8    X.    11-20.  343 

I  will  send  serpents,  cockatrices,  among  you,  which  will  not  be 
charmed,  and  they  shall  bite  you,  saith  the  Lord."  Psal.  Iviii.  4,  5. 
Jer.  viii.  17. 

The  meaning  of  the  verse  before  us,  however,  does  not  at  all 
depend  on  the  reality  of  the  alleged  fact:  Whether  it  was  authen- 
tic, or  only  the  general  belief,  the  sentiment  expressed  is  the  same. 
"Surely  the  serpent  will  bite  without  enchantment," — that  is,  he 
will  bite  unless  he  be  charmed:  "and  a  babbler  is  no  better."  This 
latter  clause  is  by  some  rendered — "  and  there  is  no  success  to  the 
master  of  the  tongue ;"  and  is  interpreted  as  expressing  the  vanity 
of  the  most  exquisite  incantations,  even  by  "charmers  charming 
never  so  wisely,"  after  the  bite  has  been  inflicted;  *  and  as  intended 
to  warn  against  delay  in  softening  and  subduing  a  dangerous 
character,  and  thus  preventing  what,  when  once  done,  it  may  be 
far  from  easy  to  remedy.  But  it  was  not  by  the  subtle  eloquence 
of  the  tongue  that  serpents  were  charmed;  and  the  connection 
evidently  favors  the  translation  of  the  Hebrew  phrase,  signifying 
"  master  of  the  tongue,"  by  such  an  English  designation  as  ^'  bab- 
bler," or  talker; — a  man  who  is  all  tongue.  This  "babbler"  is 
the  very  person  to  be  charmed.  He  is  compared  to  a  serpent. 
His  tongue  is  dangerous  in  the  extreme, — doing  injury  sometimes 
without  design  and  sometimes  Avith  it, — from  the  want  of  common 
sense,  or  from  the  want  of  principle.  It  is  "an  unruly  evil,  full 
of  deadly  poison."  He  who  gives  to  his  tongue  an  unrestrained 
license,  and  is  guided  in  the  use  of  it  neither  by  principle  nor  by 
prudence,  is  a  man  that  requires  to  be  managed  with  peculiar 
caution.  Contradiction  and  violence  may  only  irritate,  and  make 
the  venom  of  his  tongue  the  more  virulent  and  deadly.  He  must 
be  charmed.  We  must  find  out  his  right  side, — the  way  to  gain 
his  good  graces,  to  tame  him,  and  keep  him  gentle.  If  he  be  a 
man  of  power,  the  danger  of  meddling  with  him  becomes  the  more 
imminent,  and  the  necessity  for  cautious  management  the  more 
imperative. 

But  a  babbler  is  dangerous  not  only  to  others;  he  is  equally  so 
to  himself: — 

Verse  12.  The  words  of  a  wise  man's  mouth  are  gracious;  but 
the  lips  of  a  fool  will  swallow  up  himself. 

*Si  serpens  momorderit,  non  incantatus,  quid  praestabit  peritissimus  incan- 
tator? — Va?i  der  Palm. 


344  LECTURE  XX. 

"The  words  of  a  wise  man's  mouth" — of  the  man  who  is  guided 
by  sound  principle  and  discretion,  and  a  due  consideration  of  cir- 
cumstances and  characters — "are  gracious:" — they  are  kind  and 
insinuating;  adapted,  in  times  of  difficulty,  to  gain  and  to  secure 
the  friendship  of  others, — to  avert  gathering  storms,  and  to  still 
the  tempest  when  it  has  begun  to  rage.  Such  were  the  words  of 
Jacob,  when,  after  having  committed  himself  to  the  God  of  his 
fathers,  he  went  to  meet  his  brother  Esau,  whose  proud  re- 
sentment he  had  so  much  cause  to  fear.  Gen.  xxxii.  And  such 
were  the  words  of  Abigail  to  David,  when  his  wrath  had  been 
kindled  by  the  insolent  conduct  of  her  churlish  and  thankless 
husband,  and  his  purpose  of  vengeance  had  been  formed,  and  was 
on  the  eve  of  immediate  execution.  1  Sam.  xxv. 

The  contrast  of  the  first  clause  of  this  verse  with  the  second, 
clearly  shows  what  is  meant  by  the  graciousness  of  the  wise  man's 
words : — "  but  the  lips  of  a  fool  will  swallow  up  himself."  His 
rash,  imprudent,  and  passionate,  or  his  unprincipled  and  slander- 
ous talk,  is  incessantly  exposing  him  to  hazards,  alienating  his 
friends,  exasperating  his  enemies,  and  bringing  upon  him  their  open 
or  their  secret  vengeance.  He  thus  digs  pits  for  himself  that  may 
swallow  him  up,  and  becomes  the  victim  of  his  own  folly.  The 
conduct  of  the  successor  of  Solomon  in  the  throne  of  Israel,  affords 
an  apt  illustration  of  "a  fool's  words  swallowing  up  himself." 
Had  Rehoboam  followed  the  sound  advice  of  the  aged  counsellors 
of  his  father  and  "spoken  good  words  to  the  people"  when  they 
came  to  implore  a  mitigation  of  their  burdens,  all  had  been  well. 
They  would  have  sworn  a  willing  allegiance ;  would  have  shouted 
"  God  save  king  Rehoboam !"  and  would  have  been,  as  the  old 
men  expressed  it,  "his  servants  for  ever."  But,  like  a  fool,  in- 
stead of  his  words  being  "gracious,"  he  "answered  the  people 
roughly;"  talked,  with  supercilious  severity,  of  "his  little  finger 
being  thicker  than  his  father's  loins,"  and  of  "chastising  them 
with  scorpions  in  place  of  whips:"  and  his  ungracious  words 
"swallowed  up  himself."  They  roused  the  indignant  spirit  of 
the  peoplo;  divided  his  kingdom;  and  alienated  for  ever  from 
the  house  of  David  the  whole  of  Israel  except  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

We  cannot  wonder  that  the  fool's  words  should  be  represented 
as  thus  hazardous  to  himself  as  well  as  to  others,  when  we  consider 
the  description  of  them  in  the  thirteenth  verse : — 


ECCLESIASTES    X.    11-20.  345- 

Verse  13.   The  beginning  of  the  words  of  his  mouth  is  foolishness  ; 
and  the  end  of  his  talk  is  mischievous  madness. 

When  he  speaks  at  all  he  speaks  foolishly;  and,  commencing^ 
in  folly,  he  concludes  in  madness :  he  either  works  liimself  up  to 
a  pitch  of  frenzy,  by  the  very  power  of  eager  and  continued  voci- 
feration, fretting  and  fuming  with  ridiculous  and  extravagant 
passion  at  phantoms,  possibly,  of  his  own  creation,  which  his  wild 
and  incoherent  mind  has  embodied  into  reality,  and,  by  dwelling 
upon  them  and  talking  of  them,  has  aggravated  to  a  hideous 
magnitude: — or,  if  he  happens  to  meet  with  the  smallest  check 
or  contradiction — if  he  is  not  listened  to  with  the  attention  to 
which  he  deems  such  an  oracle  entitled — if  his  hearer  does  not 
appear  to  feel  along  with  him  to  the  full  extent  to  which  he  ab- 
surdly feels  himself; — he  is  instantly  on  fire,  all  blaze,  and  smoke^ 
and  noise;  he  is  thrown  more  and  more  oif  his  guard;  till  his 
passion  becomes  "mischievous  madness,"  perilous  to  all  within 
his  reach,  and  whom  he  has  power  to  injure,  and  not  less  perilous 
to  himself.  Were  it  not  for  the  harm  which  such  a  combustible 
talker,  in  his  moments  of  inflammation,  may  occasion,  along  with 
the  pain  produced  by  the  humiliating  spectacle  of  a  fellow-man 
exposing  himself  as  the  wretched  dupe  of  his  own  imbecility  and 
senseless  passion,  he  might  well  be  laughed  at  for  the  ludicrous 
incongruity  between  his  feelings  and  their  exciting  causes;  be- 
tween his  endless  and  over-powering  talk,  and  the  subjects  of  his 
voluble  vehemence. — The  character  is  in  this  verse  shortly  but 
strikingly  touched.  It  is  far  from  being  uncommon.  And  there 
are  few  more  dangerous,  or  more  difficult  to  manage. 

Feia  ideas  and  many  words,  is  the  next  feature  in  the  portraiture 
of  the  fool : — 

Verse  14.  A  fool  also  is  full  of  words:  a  man  cannot  tell  ivhat 
shall  be;  and  lohat  shall  be  after  him,  who  can  tell  himf 

Some,  I  believe,  have  fancied,  that  Solomon  here  mimics  the 
fool, — giving  an  exemplification  or  specimen  of  what  he  means. 
Rather  than  cease  talking,  the  fool  will  repeat  the  same  thing  in 
much  the  same  words: — "A  man  cannot  tell  what  shall  be,— and 
what  shall  be  after  him,  who  can  tell  him?"  But  this,  if  it  be 
ingenious,  is  not  solid.  The  two  clauses  are  not  of  the  same 
meaning.  The  latter  is  not  a  mere  vain  repetition  of  the  former. 
''A  man  cannot  tell  what  shall  be,"  expresses  a  person's  own  ina- 


346  LECTURE    XX. 

bility  to  dive  into  the  future;  and  "what  shall  be  after  him,  who 
can  tell  him?"  expresses  the  inability  of  all  others  to  give  him 
the  information  he  may  wish  for. 

By  others,  the  verse  is  considered  as  reproving  the  presumptu- 
ous vanity  of  the  fool's  talk.  His  being  "full  of  words,"  they 
think,  refers  particularly  to  his  foolish  boastings  of  what  he  is  to 
do, — his  airy  promises, — his  extravagant  and  confident  schemes 
for  the  future,  and  vauntings  of  their  certain  success ; — a  very 
common  way  in  which  the  fool  utters  his  mind  and  proclaims  his 
folly;  forgetting  entirely,  that — while  he  thus  talks  at  random, 
and  roams  at  large  over  the  fields  of  futurity,  with  no  doubts,  no 
conditional  ifs,  no  humble  recollection  of  dependence,  between 
him  and  the  attainment  of  all  his  speculations — "a  man  cannot 
tell  what  shall  be;  and  what  shall  be  after  him,  who  can  tell  him?" 

Others  still, — and  this  is  probably  the  true  meaning, — interpret 
the  words  as  descriptive  of  the  loose  incoherency ;  the  unconnected 
heterogeneous  jumble;  of  the  fool's  discourse:  which  is  so  mingled, 
so  impertinent,  so  disjointed,  that  no  man  at  any  one  part  of  it, 
can  tell,  or  can  even  guess,  what  is  to  come  next.  No  man  can 
judge  from  what  he  is  now  saying,  what  he  is  about  to  say;  or 
from  what  he  is  now  doing,  what  he  is  about  to  do.  If  the  per- 
son who  is  himself  at  a  loss  puts  the  question  to  others,  he  finds 
them  as  unable  to  conjecture  as  himself: — "a  man  cannot  tell  what 
is  to  be ;  and  what  is  to  come  after  it,  who  can  tell  him  ?"  All 
is  Babel:  no  order,  no  system,  no  associated  pairs  of  ideas,  no 
rational  and  perceptible  sequence  of  one  thing  from  another. 

In  these  different  interpretations,  the  character  represented  is 
much  the  same ;  only  it  is  brought  out  from  the  words  in  diiferent 
ways.  The  fool  appears  in  them  all,  as  a  man  of  words,  rather 
than  of  ideas ;  and  "  full  of  words."  He  talks  at  random  about 
every  thing,  past,  present,  or  to  come ;  and  is  always  equally  con- 
fident. It  is  vain  to  attempt  arguing  with  him ;  he  cannot  be 
kept  to  a  point ;  he  will  stupify  you  with  talk ;  and  he  must  and 
will  have  the  last  word,  even  although  he  should  only  say  at  the 
end  the  same  thing  that  he  said  at  the  beginning. 

A  total  want  of  common  sense  in  the  most  ordinary  affairs  of 
life  and  transactions  of  business  completes  the  picture: — 

Verse  15.  The  labor  of  the  foolish  wearieth  every  one  of  them; 
because  he  hiowcth  not  hare  to  go  to  the  city. 


ECCLESIASTE8    X.    11-20.  347 

This  last  expression  was,  iu  all  probability,  proverbial.  "  He 
does  not  know  the  way  into  the  city,"— although,  it  may  be,  living 
in  the  immediate  vicinity.  He  wanders  in  the  openest  and  best 
frequented  road : — that  is,  he  blunders  in  the  simplest  and  easiest 
matters.  If  there  be  a  wrong  way,  he  is  sure  to  take  it. — The 
whole  verse  connects  immediately  with  the  preceding.  "A  man 
cannot  tell  what  is  to  be  ;  and  what  shall  be  after  it,  who  can  tell 
him?  The  labor  of  the  foolish  wearieth  everyone  of  them  f' — 
that  is,  all  men  that  have  any  thing  to  do  wuth  him.  They  are 
teazed,  and  harassed,  and  worn  out  of  patience  by  his  incorrigible 
stupidity,  and  the  blunders  it  is  perpetually  producing;  blunders, 
of  which  the  rectification  is  sometimes  much  more  troublesome 
than  the  entire  business  about  which  they  are  committed.  Send 
the  fool  back  to  adjust  his  error,  and  it  is  twenty  to  one  that  he 
makes  a  second  worse  than  the  first. 

The  whole  of  this  description  of  the  absurdity  of  the  fool's  dis- 
course and  conduct,  and  its  mischievous  consequences,  may  be 
understood  as  opposed  to  the  brief  commendation  of  wisdom  in 
the  end  of  the  tenth  verse,  as  "profitable  to  direct."  The  wise 
man  "  orders  his  own  affairs  with  discretion,"  and  whatever  is  in- 
trusted to  him  by  others  he  manages  with  prudence,  accuracy,  and 
despatch;  securing  to  himself  approbation,  confidence,  and  ad- 
vancement. 

In  speaking  of  the  opposite  efteets  of  wisdom  and  folly,  it  was 
not  unnatural  for  the  writer,  himself  a  king,  to  introduce  some 
remarks  on  the  comparative  influence  of  the  one  and  the  other, 
when  predominant  in  the  character  of  public  rulers : — 

Verses  16,  17.  Woe  to  thee,  0  land,  when  thy  king  is  a  child,  and 
thy  'princes  eat  in  the  morning.  Blessed  art  thou,  O  land,  when  thy 
king  is  the  son  of  nobles,  and  thy  princes  eat  in  due  season,  for 
strength,  and  not  for  drunkenness. 

"  A  child,"  in  the  former  of  these  verses,  refers  not  so  much  to 
age,  as  to  capacity.  A  woe  is  pronounced  on  a  country  when  its 
sovereign  is  ignorant,  inexperienced,  froward,  fickle,  willful,  easily 
imposed  upon,  and  otherwise  unfit,  as  a  child,  for  his  weighty 
charge.  The  historian  of  the  reign  of  Rehoboam  the  son  of  Solo- 
mon, in  the  First  book  of  Kings,  informs  us  that  that  prince  "was 
forty  and  one  years  old  when  he  began  to  reign."  Yet  when  Abijah, 
his  son  and  successor,  expostulates  with  Jeroboam  and  his  followers 


348  LECTURE    XX. 

for  their  rebellion  against  his  father,  he  represents  Rehoboani  as 
having  been  tlien  ^^ young  and  tender-hearted,"  and  incapable  of 
withstanding  them.*  Tender-hearted  is  an  epithet  susceptible  of 
different  significations.  When  it  is  said  of  the  good  king  Josiah 
that  his  "heart  was  tender,"  that  lowliness  and  contrition  of  spirit 
are  meant,  which  arise  from  a  sense  of  sin,  and  a  becoming  fear 
of  God.  He  "humbled  himself  and  wept  before  the  Lord."  But 
this  was  not  the  character  of  Rehoboani ;  and  the  epithet,  when 
applied  to  him,  must  be  understood  as  expressing  irresolute  timidi- 
ty, softness,  want  of  courage  and  nerve  for  encountering  and  going 
through  difficulties.  But  whatever  we  conceive  to  be  meant  by 
tender-hearted;  certainly,  when  we  think  of  the  age  above  as- 
signed to  Rehoboam,  the  word  translated  young  cannot  signiiy  his 
being  a  child  in  years;  and  yet  it  is  the  same  word  as  that  ren- 
dered "a  child"  in  the  passage  before  us.  It-  means,  evidently, 
that  he  was  raw  and  inexperienced ;  deficient  in  vigor,  and  with- 
out skill.  We  necessarily  associate  with  extensive  power  lodged 
in  the  hands  of  a  child,  the  ideas  of  general  incapacity,  inexperi- 
ence, and  liableness  to  imposition,  and  the  probability  at  least  of 
frowardness,  fickleness,  and  self-will.  Hence  it  is  threatened, 
through  the  prophet  Isaiah,  as  a  curse  upon  the  people  of  Israel, 
"I  will  give  children  to  be  their  princes,  and  babes  shall  rule  over 
them."  Isaiah  iii.  4. 

In  such  cases,  it  cannot  be  expected  that  public  affairs  should 
prosper;  and  especially  when,  to  the  incapacity  of  the  sovereign, 
there  is  added  thej  curse  of  an  indolent  and  voluptuous  nobility ; 
when  not  only  is  the  king  of  the  land  a  child,  but  her  "  jirinces  eat 
in  the  morning;"  that  is,  when  they  are  men  "given  to  appetite," 
devoted  to  sensual  gratifications,  their  god  their  belly,  indulging 
their  propensities  at  unseasonable  times,  for  their  own  pleasure, 
and  to  the  neglect  of  the  business  of  the  State.  A  wise,  and  tem- 
perate, and  active  nobility,  might  counteract,  by  their  counsel  and 
their  influence,  the  mischiefs  of  a  weak  prince's  incapacity.  But 
when  both  these  evils  meet,  then  may  it  be  said,  with  emphasis 
as  well  as  truth,  ^  Woe  to  thee,  O  land!"  Every  thing  must  be 
deranged  and  out  of  course;  all  the  miseries  must  be  felt,  of  mis- 
rule, oppression,  and  anarchy;  and  all  the  moral  horrors  exhibited, 
of  a  licentious  and  degraded  community. 


*  Compare  1  Kings  xiv.  21,  with  2  Cliron.  xiii.  7. 


ECCLESIASTES  X.    11-20.  349 

On  the  other  hand — Verse  17.  "Blessed  art  thou,  O  land,  when 
thy  king  is  the  son  of  nobles,  and  thy  princes  eat  in  due  season, 
for  strength,  and  not  for  drunkenness." 

The  king's  being  "a  son  of  nobles"  must  not  be  understood  as 
implying  the  sentiment  that  capacity  is  the  uniform  attendant  of 
exalted  birth.  "A  son  of  nobles,"  evidently  signifies  a  noble- 
minded  prince,  the  descendant  of  illustrious  progenitors,  possessing 
their  talents,  and  emulating  their  excellences.  It  stands  opposed 
to  the  designation,  "a  child,"  in  the  preceding  verse.  Our  Lord 
said  on  one  occasion  to  the  Jews,  "  If  ye  were  Abraham's  chil- 
dren, ye  Avould  do  the  works  of  Abraham ;"  and  we  are  accus- 
tomed, with  a  peculiarity  of  meaning  which  every  one  understands, 
to  say  of  a  youth,  the  resemblance  of  whose  character  to  that  of 
his  pai-ent  is  particularly  marked  and  striking.  He  is  his  father's 
son.  On  the  same  principle  of  phraseology,  "a  son  of  nobles"  is 
one  who  does  not  disgrace  his  birth,  but  who  resembles  the  line 
of  eminent  ancestors  from  whom  he  has  derived  it. 

The  sense  which  we  attached  to  the  phrase  in  the  former  verse — 
"eating  in  the  morning,"  is  confirmed  by  its  being  placed  in  con- 
trast with  "eating  in  due  season,  for  strength,  and  not  for  drunken- 
ness." It  is  equally  plain,  from  the  mention  of  drunkenness,  that 
"eating,"  in  the  sixteenth  verse,  means  feasting  in  general;  the 
being  addicted  to  banqueting  and  revelry.  And  opposed  to  this 
is  "eating  in  due  season," — not  for  the  mere  indulgence  of  animal 
appetite;  the  sordid  gratification  of  sensual  propensities;  but  for 
the  natural  and  proper  end  of  eating — the  nourishment  and  in- 
vigoration  of  the  bodily  frame  for  the  active  exertion  requisite  in 
the  fulfillment  of  the  duties  of  life.  A  wise,  experienced,  able, 
and  accomplished  monarch,  with  a  temperate,  steady,  and  patriotic 
nobility,  devoted  to  public  business  and  not  to  pleasure, — king 
and  courtiers  jointly  applying  their  powders,  from  right  principles, 
to  the  service  of  the  commonwealth, — is  a  blessing  of  inestimable 
value  to  a  country.  The  administration  of  affairs  will  then,  un- 
der the  smile  of  heaven,  be  proportionably  prosperous;  and  the 
people,  experiencing  the  benefits  of  good  government,  will  be 
loyal  and  contented;  and,  influenced  by  the  example  of  their 
superiors,  sober,  industrious,  honorable,  and  happy. 

Luxury  is  usually  accompanied   by  slothfulness, — the  love  of 


350  LECTURE    XX. 

ease  and  repose;  and  in  every  department  of  business,  private  and 
public,  slothfulness  is  the  parent  of  loss,  decay,  and  ruin : — 

Verse  18.  By  much  slothfulness  the  building  decayeth;  and  through 
idleness  of  the  hands  the  house  droppeth  through. 

A  house  requires,  not  only  to  be  built,  but  to  be  kept  up.  If 
due  attention  be  not  paid  to  this, — if  a  man,  from  laziness,  after 
having  got  his  habitation  reared,  M'ill  not  be  at  the  trouble  of 
necessary  repairs,  a  damage  that  is  at  first  trifling  will  imper- 
ceptibly increase,  and  will  be  followed  by  others,  till  the  building 
comes  to  be  in  danger.  Kesolutions  to  have  it  mended  are  daily 
formed,  and  daily  neglected;  the  indolent  inhabitant  always  finding 
some  apology  for  putting  off  till  to-morrow.  To-morrow  is  so 
near,  that  matters,  he  says  to  himself,  cannot  be  much  worse  be- 
fore then ;  and  as  it  is  always  equally  near,  the  excuse  which  it 
furnishes  is  always  equally  valid.  Day  after  day,  as  the  time  for 
purposed  or  half-j)urposed  exertion  comes  round,  the  sluggard 
yawns  out  to  himself  the  same  convenient  assurance,  that  a  few 
hours  can  make  no  diiference;  till,  by  daily  procrastination,  the 
repair  becomes  impracticable,  and  the  decayed  and  shattered  tene- 
ment "falls  through." — All  domestic  and  all  national  affairs  will 
necessarily  go  to  wreck  in  the  hands  of  the  slothful.  "The  slug- 
gard will  not  plow  by  reason  of  the  cold ;  therefore  shall  he  beg 
in  harvest,  and  have  nothing;" — "  I  went  by  the  field  of  the  sloth- 
ful, and  by  the  vineyard  of  the  man  void  of  understanding;  and, 
lo,  it  was  all  grown  over  with  thorns,  and  nettles  had  covered  the 
face  thereof,  and  the  stone  wall  thereof  was  broken  down.  Then 
I  saw,  and  considered  it  well;  I  looked  upon  it,  and  received  in- 
struction. Yet  a  little  sleep,  a  little  slumber,  a  little  folding  of  the 
hands  to  sleep :  so  shall  thy  poverty  come  as  one  that  travelleth ; 
and  thy  want  as  an  armed  man." — "The  hand  of  the  diligent 
shall  bear  rule ;  but  the  slothful  shall  be  under  tribute." — "  The 
drunkard  and  the  glutton  shall  come  to  poverty;  and  drowsiness 
shall  clothe  a  man  with  rags."  Prov.  xx.  4.  xxiv.  30-34.  xii.  24. 
xxiii.  21. — In  this  last  passage  the  same  connection  is  observable, 
as  in  the  subject  of  lecture,  between  sensuality  and  sloth. 

When  the  rulers  of  a  land  addict  themselves  to  sensual  indul- 
gence and  profligacy,  the  public  funds  are  wasted  by  the  demands 
of  their  luxury,  and  lavished  on  the  companions  of  their  intem- 
perance and  riot;  by  which  means  tlie  treasury  is  empoverished, 


ECCLESIASTES   X.    11-20.  351 

and  either  the  bushiess  of  government,  which  cannot  go  on  for  a 
day  without  money,  must  be  at  a  stand,  or  the  royal  coffers  must 
be  replenished  by  injurious  and  oppressive  taxation. : — 

Verse  19.  A  feast  is  made  for  laughter,  and  wine  maketh  merry; 
but  money  answereth  all  things. 

Feasting  and  wine,  laughter  and  merriment,  are  transient,  un- 
substantial, and  profitless.  What  can  they  do  towards  the  great 
ends  of  government?  Which  of  the  purposes  can  they  serve, 
M'hich  would  be  effectually  answered  by  the  money  that  is  thrown 
away  upon  them?  The  verse  appears  to  be  introduced,  to  aggra- 
vate the  folly  and  criminality  of  the  conduct  reprobated  in  the 
sixteenth  verse,  of  the  princes  of  a  land  "eating  in  the  morning," — 
giving  themselves  to  unseasonable  and  intemperate  festivity.  The 
feast,  indeed,  yields  them  laughter  and  mirth.  But  woe  to  the 
land,  when  its  princes  expend  on  such  frivolous  and  unworthy 
objects  the  money  which  ought  to  be  devoted  to  the  advancement 
of  their  country's  prosperity,  and  which,  in  government,  equally  as 
in  other  departments  of  life  and  business,  "answereth  all  things" — 
is  indispensable  to  every  step  of  its  procedure. 

Such  conduct  on  the  part  of  rulers  presents  a  very  strong  tempt- 
ation to  their  subjects — while  they  cannot  but  inwardly  disapprove, 
dislike,  and  despise  them — to  give  utterance  to  their  feelings  in  the 
language  of  reviling  and  imprecation :  and  the  chapter  concludes 
witTi  an  admonition  on  this  subject,  founded  on  considerations  of 
prudence,  which  do  not,  however,  imply  the  exclusion  of  higher 
principles : — 

Yerse  20.  Curse  not  the  king,  no,  not  in  thy  thought,  and  curse 
not  the  rich  in  thy  bed-chamber :  for  a  bird  of  the  air  shall  carry  the 
voice,  and  that  which  hath  wings  shall  tell  the  matter. 

This  is  an  important  general  caution : — a  caution,  for  which 
there  is  little  occasion  when  a  land  is  blessed  Avith  a  king  who  is 
the  son  of  nobles,  and  when  its  princes  eat  in  due  season,  for 
strength,  and  not  for  revelry.  Against  such  there  is  no  disposition 
to  vent  imprecations : — they  are  a  blessing,  and  they  are  blessed 
in  return : — they  reign  in  the  hearts  of  a  loyal  and  happy  people. 
But,  even  when  it  is  otherwise, — when  the  king  is  a  child,  and  the 
princes  eat  in  the  morning, — there  is  an  official  respect  due  to  the 
magistracy,  independently  of  the  personal  character  of  the  magis- 
trate.    Honor  is  enjoined  to  be  paid  to  governors  as  such.     "Sub- 


552  I.ECTUKE    XX. 

mit  yourselves  to  every  ordinance  of  man,  for  the  Lord's  sake: 
whether  it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme ;  or  unto  governors,  as  unto 
them  that  are  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  and 
for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well.  For  so  is  the  will  of  God, 
that  with  well-doing  ye  may  put  to  silence  the  iguorance  of  fool- 
ish men :  as  free,  and  not  using  your  liberty  for  a  cloak  of  ma- 
liciousness, but  as  the  servants  of  God.  Honor  all  men.  Love 
the  brotherhood.  Fear  God,  Honor  the  king."  1  Pet.  ii.  13-17. 
All  those  general  principles,  on  the  ground  of  which  obedience  is 
inculcated,  enforce  also  respectful  behavior,  and  prohibit  cursing 
and  reviling.  "Render  therefore  to  all  their  dues;  tribute  to 
whom  tribute  is  due,  custom  to  whom  custom,  fear  to  whom  fear, 
honor  to  whom  honor."  Rom.  xiii.  7.  "Conscience  toward  God" 
must  be  our  first  consideration — a  sense  of  duty  arising  from  his 
authority.  But  the  fear  of  punishment  from  men, — what  the  apostle 
Paul  denominates  "wrath," — is  a  second;  which,  although  in  its 
nature  inferior,  is  yet  perfectly  justifiable  and  legitimate. — We 
ought  not  to  do  "in  thought,"  what  it  is  Avrong  in  the  sight  of  God 
to  do  with  our  tongues:  for  "the  Lord  searcheth  all  hearts,  and 
understandeth  all  the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts."  The  most 
secret  and  deeply  hidden  thought  of  a  malicious  and  cursing  heart 
is  perfectly  known  to  Him,  though  it  never  should  give  itself 
expression  in  words.  And  whilst  all  things  are  naked  and  open 
to  Him, — whilst  our  very  "thoughts  are  heard  in  heaven," — let 
us  not  forget  that  kings,  and  the  courtiers  and  the  satellites  of 
kings,  have  a  sense  of  hearing  unusually  acute,  and  exercise  a 
vigilance  which  few  things  can  escape : — "  A  bird  of  the  air  shall 
carry  the  voice,  and  that  which  hath  wings  shall  tell  the  matter." 
This  is  a  strong  proverbial  form  of  speech,  expressive  of  the  strange 
and  unaccountable  way  in  which  such  matters  are  frequently  de- 
tected. They  come  to  light — nobody  knows  how.  The  course 
they  have  followed  leaves  no  traces  by  which  it  can  be  searched 
out.  It  is  as  if  "  a  bird  of  the  air  had  carried  the  voice."  You 
are  as  much  at  a  loss  as  the  Syrian  monarch  was,  when  Elisha  the 
prophet  "told  the  king  of  Israel  the  words  that  he  spoke  in  his 
bed-chamber."  You  are  lost  in  unavailing  conjecture,  when  that 
which  has  been  "spoken  in  the  ear  in  closets,"  or  whispered  in  a 
soliloquy  in  your  most  private  retirement — that  which  you  have 
little  more  than  thouglit — finds  its  way  to  the  throne,  and  exposes 


ECCLESIASTES  X.   11-20.  353 

you  to  jealousy  and  to  vengeance.  "Curse  not  the  king,"  there- 
fore, "  no,  not  in  thy  thought,  and  curse  not  the  rich  in  thy  bed- 
chamber." Add  prudence  to  principle.  The  thing  is  in  itself 
wrong;  and  it  is  at  the  same  time  hazardous.  It  involves  at  once 
the  displeasure  of  God,  and  the  risk  of  forfeiting  your  head  to  men. 
Let  us  now  gather  up  some  of  those  inferential  lessons  which 
are  suggested  by  the  verses. 

1.  In  the  first  lilace;  The  variety  of  characters  with  which  we 
must  meet  in  our  passage  through  the  world,  if  we  mix  at  all  in 
the  active  scenes  of  life,  is  very  great;  and  it  is  a  lesson  of  no 
inferior  consequence,  to  "walk  in  wisdom"  toward  them  all.  We 
must  not,  indeed,  sacrifice  integrity  and  a  good  conscience.  These 
have  no  equivalent;  no  price  at  which  they  can  be  disposed  of 
without  irreparable  loss.  But  it  is  a  duty,  as  well  as  an  advan- 
tage, to  suit  our  behavior  to  the  characters  of  those  with  whom 
the  intercourse  of  life  brings  us  into  contact.  From  a  disdainful 
or  a  thoughtless  disregard  of  this  lesson — from  treating  men  of  all 
tempers  and  characters  alike, — from  scorning  or  neglecting  to 
charm  the  serpent, — much  contention  and  wrath,  disturbance  and 
mischief,  have  arisen.  Even  folli/  itself  is  a  genus  that  compre- 
hends under  it  no  inconsiderable  number  of  species  and  varieties  : 
and  it  is  far  from  being  a  trifling  or  contemptible  exercise  of  pru- 
dence, so  to  conduct  ourselves  towards  fools  themselves,  as  to  avoid 
encouraging  and  puffing  them  up  in  their  folly,  and  to  save  from 
injurious  impression  our  own  reputation  and  interest.  "Answer 
not  a  fool  according  to  his  folly,"  says  the  wise  man  elsewhere, 
*'lest  thou  also  be  like  unto  him.  Answer  a  fool  according  to  his 
folly,  lest  he  be  wise  in  his  own  conceit."  The  seeming  contra- 
riety of  these  directions  is  perhaps  most  simply  explained  by  ob- 
serving the  diiferent  senses  of  the  phrase  "according  to  his  folly." 
Answer  not  a  fool  in  a  foolish  manner,  lest  thou  also  be  like  unto 
him.  Answer  a  fool  as  his  folly  deserves,  lest  he  be  wise  in  his  own 
conceit. 

2.  Secondly ;  Solomon,  doubtless,  uttered  much  pernicious  folly 
himself  during  "the  days  of  his  vanity,"  when  he  resolved  on 
making  the  trial  of  foolishness  and  madness  as  a  source  of  enjoy- 
ment and  pleasure.  But  after  those  days,  so  unworthy  of  him, 
were  over, — when  "hLs  understanding  returned  to  him,"  and  he 

23 


354  LECTURE   XX. 

deduced  tlie  lessons  of  wisdom  from  the  experience  of  folly,  O 
how  "  gracious  "  were  "  the  words  of  his  mouth !"  With  the  meek 
humility  and  tender  earnestness  of  one  who  deeply  and  bitterly 
felt  the  absurdity  and  the  criminality  of  his  own  ways,  he  ad- 
dresses his  admonitions  to  others,  and  seeks  to  Avin  their  hearts 
to  that  which  is  good.  This  he  does  in  the  book  before  us ;  and 
how  fine,  too,  are  the  exemplifications  of  it  in  the  introductory 
portion  (the  first  nine  chapters)  of  tlie  book  of  Proverbs !  How 
aifectionate,  how  faithful,  how  fervent,  how  insinuating,  how  en- 
deariug !  That  youth's  heart  must  be  sadly  infatuated,  or  wretch- 
edly hardened,  that  can  slight  and  resist  counsel  so  administered. 

But  we  know  into  whose  lips,  above  all  others,  "grace  was 
poured."  "■  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  rested  upon  Him, — the  spirit 
of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might, 
the  spirit  of  knowledge  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  Truly  gra- 
cious were  the  words  which  proceeded  out  of  his  mouth ;  in  them- 
selves profitable  and  saving;  and,  in  the  manner  of  them,  uniting 
the  divine  dignity  of  "one  who  had  authority,"  with  all  the  mild- 
ness and  engagingness  of  winning  persuasion : — "Learn  of  me,  for 
I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart."  In  his  experience  a  mournful 
evidence  is  presented,  that  the  most  gracious  words,  the  fullest  of 
wisdom  and  kindness,  will  not  always  secure  from  hatred  and 
opposition,  when  that  which  is  uttered  is  unpalatable  and  offen- 
sive truth.  There  were  times  when  his  countrymen  hung  upon 
his  lips  with  delighted  eagerness;  all  bearing  him  witness,  and 
"marvelling  at  the  gracious  words  which  proceeded  out  of  his 
mouth:"  but  no  sooner  did  he  touch  a  striug  that  was  not  quite 
in  harmony  with  their  national  and  their  provincial  pride,  tlian, 
as  if  by  a  touch  of  magic,  all  was,  in  an  instant,  indignation  and 
wrath,  and  lie  is  hurried  to  the  brow  of  a  precipice,  to  be  cast 
down  headlong.  Yet  ought  we  always,  notwithstanding  this,  as 
far  as  is  consistent  with  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  truth,  to  choose 
acceptable  and  ingratiating  words,  such  as  may  disarm  resentment, 
give  assurance  of  good-will,  and  obtain  for  whatever  we  may  have 
to  say  a  fair  and  favorable  hearing.  "Let  your  speech  be  always 
with  grace." 

3.  Thirdly;  If  "the  lips  of  a  fool  swallow  up  himself,"  by 
bringing  upon  him  the  resentment  of  men,  and  laying  him  open 


ECCLESIASTES  X,    11-20.  355 

to  varied  mischief;  there  is  a  higher  and  more  ahirining  sense  in 
which  the  expression  will  be  found  to  liold  true.  Wlicn  men 
speak  against  God;  when  they  "contradict  and  blaspheme"  liis  testi- 
mony; when  they  talk  of  his  thrcatenings  with  bravado  and  scorn; 
and  with  sneering  contempt  of  the  invitjitions  of  his  mercy :  their 
words  are  the  words  of  folly,  and  they  are  words  which  in  the  end 
will  prove  their  infallible  and  irremediable  ruin.  "The  kings  of 
the  earth  set  themselves,  and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together, 
against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  Anointed,  saying.  Let  us  break 
their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us.  He  that 
sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in 
derision.  Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them  in  his  wrath,  and  vex 
them  in  his  sore  displeasure." — "And  Enoch  also,  the  seventh 
from  Adam,  ])rophesied  of  these,  saying,  Behold,  the  Lord  cometh 
v/ith  ten  thousands  of  his  saints,  to  execute  judgment  upon  all, 
and  to  convict  all  that  are  ungodly  among  them  of  all  their  un- 
godly deeds  which  they  have  ungodly  committed,  and  of  all  their 
hard  speeches  which  ungodly  sinners  have  spoken  against  him." 
Psalm  ii.  2-5.  Jude  14-15.  Ah!  ^/w/t,  indeed,  "the  lips  of  the 
fool  will  swallow  up  himself."  He  will  be  found  to  have  em- 
ployed them  against  his  own  life.  Having  despised  and  rejected 
the  offered  mercy  of  God  in  this  Avorld;  instead  of  "gracious" 
words  from  the  lips  of  the  "meek  and  lowly"  Redeemer,  he  shall 
hear  the  fearful  sentence  of  the  righteous  and  offended  Judge, — 
"Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the 
devil  and  his  angels." 

4.  Fourthly;  As  it  is  our  incumbent  duty  to  seek,  by  all  lawful 
means,  the  good  of  our  country,  let  it  be  our  prayer  to  Him  who 
"has  the  hearts  of  all  in  his  hand,"  and  who  "giveth  to  man  un- 
derstanding," that  its  kings,  and  princes,  and  nobles,  juay  be  men 
at  once  of  ability,  of  integrity,  and  of  public  and  private  virtue; 
men,  like  those  of  Issachar,  "having  understanding  of  the  times, 
to  know  what  ought  to  be  done :" — that  its  "  officers  may  be  peace, 
and  its  exactors  righteousness," — "fearing  (xod,  and  hating  covet- 
ousness:" — that  thus,  under  the  smile  and  blessing  of  the  Most 
High,  it  may  be  well  with  ou-r  beloved  country,  both  now,  and  in 
generations  yet  to  come. 

5.  Fifthly;  My  Christian  brethren, — in  the  spiritual  kingdom  of 


356  LECTURE    XX. 

which  we  are  subjects,  the  King  is  "the  holy  One  and  the  just," 
infinite  ih  wisdom  and  knowledge,  as  well  as  in  holiness  and  grace. 
No  "woe"  can  ever  be  sounded  against  Zion  on  account  of  the 
character  of /(cr  King.  It  combines  in  it  every  excellence  that 
can  engage  the  loyalty  of  his  subjects,  and  insure  the  prosperity 
of  his  government.  "Righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his 
loins,  and  faithfulness  the  girdle  of  his  reins : — and  he  shall  not 
judge  after  the  sight  of  his  eyes,  neither  reprove  after  the  hearing 
of  his  ears;  but  with  righteousness  shall  he  judge  the  poor,  and  re- 
prove with  equity  for  the  meek  of  the  earth :  and  he  shall  smite 
the  earth  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth,  and  with  the  breath  of  his 
lips  shall  he  slay  the  wicked."  Nothing  can  go  wrong  under  an 
administration  like  this ;  in  which  infinite  goodness  is  directed  by 
infinite  wisdom,  and  the  purposes  of  both  are  effected  by  infinite 
power.  "The  mountains  shall  bring  peace  to  the  people,  and  the 
little  hills,  by  righteousness. — In  his  days  shall  the  righteous 
flourish,  and  abundance  of  peace  so  long  as  the  moon  endureth." 
For  this  just,  and  good,  and  wise,  and  mighty  King  shall  reign 
for  ever.  His  sceptre  is  intransferable.  "His  dominion  is  an 
everlasting  dominion,  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  king- 
dom that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed."  No  curses  of  his  govern- 
ment escape  the  lips,  or  are  formed  in  the  hearts,  of  his  happy 
subjects.  "Men  shall  be  blessed  in  him:  all  nations  shall  call 
him  blessed." 

6.  Sixthly;  Remember  further,  my  brethren,  that  the  saying  in 
the  eighteenth  verse,  respecting  the  evil  tendencies  of  indolence 
and  sloth,  is  applicable,  in  the  full  emphasis  of  it,  to  spiritual  as 
well  as  to  temporal  things.  Spiritual  riches  are  acquired  by  dili- 
gence and  vigilance;  and  spiritual  declension  and  poverty  are  the 
natural  and  invariable  results  of  negligence  in  the  use  of  those 
means  which  God  has  appointed  for  the  preservation  and  advance- 
ment of  the  Divine  life  in  the  soul.  "  Work  out  your  own  sal- 
vation with  fear  and  trembling;  for  it  is  God  that  worketh  in 
you,  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure."  The  Word  and 
ordinances  of  God  are  the  means.  They  must  be  used  with  con- 
stancy and  application  of  mind,  with  the  earnestness  which  arises 
from  pleasure,  with  a  fer  vent  desire  to  profit  by  them,  and,  in  or- 
der to  this,  with  believing  prayer  for  Divine  influence  to  attend 
them  all  with  efficacy. 


ECCLESIASTES  X.   11-20.  357 

7.  Seventhly;  Exertion  is  also  necessary,  combined  iind  un- 
wearied exertion,  for  maintaining  and  building  up  the  spiritual 
house  or  temple  of  the  living  God.  It  is  true  that,  in  one  sense, 
this  is  the  work  of  the  great  Architect  alone  : — "Not  by  might, 
nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts." — "  Be- 
hold the  man  whose  name  is  the  branch  :  and  he  shall  grow  up 
out  of  his  place,  and  he  shall  build  the  temple  of  the  Lord :  even 
he  shall  build  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  bear  the  glory." 
Zech.  iv.  6.  vi.  12,  13.  But  the  Master  Builder  employs  work- 
men. He  carries  on  his  designs  by  the  instrumentality  of  human 
agents, — by  the  efforts  of  his  people,  and  especially  of  his  faithful 
servants  in  the  ministry  of  the  Word.  Let  not  our  hearts,  then, 
be  reluctant,  and  let  not  our  hands  be  slack.  Let  not  this  build- 
ing decay  by  your  slothfulness ;  let  not  this  house  drop  through, 
through  the  idleness  of  your  hands.  Let  it  not  be  said.  If  Zion 
prospers,  it  is  not  by  your  means.  The  work  is  excellent  and 
honorable,  involving  the  glory  of  God  and  the  highest  interests 
of  men.  Let  every  one  be  emulous  to  place  a  "living  stone"  in 
the  spiritual  Temple ;  not  merely  to  contemplate  its  progress  with 
pleasure,  but  to  help  it  forward  with  zeal;  till,  rising  in  all  its 
loveliness,  and  in  all  its  grandeur,  it  is  at  length  completed,  and  the 
top-stone  brought  forth  with  shoutings — "  Grace,  grace,  unto  it !" 

8.  Eighthly ;  Let  me  conclude,  by  reminding  sinners,  that  if 
there  be  hazard  in  the  most  secret  imaginations  and  whispers  of 
rebellion  against  an  earthly  monarch,  the  peril  must  be  incom- 
parably more  imminent,  that  arises  from  every  deed,  or  word,  or 
thought,  of  insubordination  to  the  "King  of  kings  and  Lord  of 
lords."  Nothing  can  escape  him.  The  unuttered  devices  of  the 
heart  lie  naked  to  his  inspection.  He  "seeth  in  secret."  "Hell 
is  open  before  him,  and  destruction  hath  no  covering."  "  There 
is  no  darkness,  nor  shadow  of  death,  where  the  workers  of  iniquity 
may  hide  themselves." 

"Who  can  resist  th'  almighty  arm 

That  made  the  starry  sky? 
Or  who  elude  the  certain  glance 

Of  God's  all-seeing  eye?" 

He  needs  no  "  bird  of  the  air  to  carry  the  voice,  or  that  which 
hath  wings  to  tell  the  matter."     "  His  eyes  run  to  and  fro  through 


358  LECTURE    XX. 

the  whole  eartli,  beholding  the  evil  and  the  good."  Hifi  ear  is 
ever  open.  He  slumbers  not  nor  sleeps.  And  what  he  sees  and 
hears  is  recorded  in  a  mind  by  which  nothing  is  forgotten,  and 
nothing,  amidst  the  infinite  multiplicity  of  its  remembrances,  is 
diminished  in  certainty  or  in  accuracy,  by  the  lapse  of  time. 
"Curse  not  this  King,  no,  not  in  thy  thought."  Your  curses 
cannot  injure  Him:  but  his  curse  coming  down  ujDon  you,  will 
sink  you  to  the  lowest  hell. 


LECTURE  XXI. 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.  1-8. 

"Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters:  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days.  2. 
Give  a  portion  to  seven,  and  also  to  eight;  for  thou  know  est  not  what  evil 
shall  be  upon  the  earth.  3.  If  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  (them- 
selves) upon  the  earth :  and  if  the  tree  fall  toward  the  south,  or  toward  the 
north,  in  the  place  where  the  tree  falleth,  there  it  shall  be.  4.  He  that  ob- 
serveth  the  Avind  shall  not  sow ;  and  he  that  regardeth  the  clouds  shall  not 
reap.  5.  As  thou  knowest  not  what  (is)  the  way  of  the  spirit,  (nor)  how 
the  bones  (do  grow)  in  the  womb  of  her  that  is' with  child:  even  so  thou 
knowest  not  the  works  of  God  who  maketh  all.  6.  In  the  morning  sow 
thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not  thine  liand :  for  thou  knowest 
not  whether  shall  prosper,  either  this  or  that,  or  whether  they  both  (shall 
be)  alike  good.  7.  Truly  the  light  (is)  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  (thing  it  is) 
for  the  eyes  to  behold  the  sun :  8.  But  if  a  man  live  many  years,  (and) 
rejoice  in  them  -all ;  yet  let  him  remember  the  days  of  darkness ;  for  they 
shall  be  many.     All  that  cometh  (is)  vanity." 

Several  times,  in  the  preceding  part  of  tlii.s  book,  we  have 
found  Solomon  speaking  of  the  proper  way  of  enjoying  the  bounties 
of  Divine  providence, — with  gratitude,  cheerfulness,  and  modera- 
tion; occasionally  hinting  at  the  use  which  ought  to  be  made  of  them 
for  the  temporal  and  spiritual  benefit  of  others.  "  I  know  that 
there  is  no  good  in  them,  but  for  a  man  to  rejoice  and  TO  do  good 
in  his  life. — On  this  latter  topic  he  enlarges  in  this  chapter;  ex- 
hibiting, in  various  and  very  interesting  and  beautiful  lights,  the 
virtue  of  benevolence,  and  the  motives  to  its  practical  cultivation. 

The  passage,  I  am  aware,  has  by  some  been  applied  to  the  virtue 
of  industry,  rather  than  of  liberality ;  and  this  view  of  it  has  been 
supported  by  plausible  reasons,  and  ingenious  criticisms.  I  am 
satisfied,  however,  that  the  ordinar}'  interpretation  is  preferable; 
that  in  a  treatise  on  the  sources  of  happiness,  it  is  but  reasonable 


360  LECTUKE    XXI. 

to  expect  some  special  notice  of  the  duties  and  rewards  of  bene- 
volence; and  that  to  this  the  figurative  illustrations  are  admirably 
appropriate. 

If  a  man  were  seen  scattering  corn  on  the  surface  of  water  that 
had  inundated  and  overspread  the  fields,  it  might  appear  the  act 
of  a  fool ;  the  witless  waste  and  unwarrantable  destruction  of  the 
"  precious  seed."  But  the  seed,  on  the  inundation  subsiding,  might 
be  deposited  in  a  loamy  and  fertile  bed,  might  spring  up  in  rich 
luxuriance,  and  yield  in  future  days  a  produce  of  a  hundred  fold. 
To  some  such  practice  as  this,  there  seems  to  be  a  beautiful  allu- 
sion in  the  opening  of  this  chapter : — 

Verse  1.  Cast  thy  bread  iipon  the  ivaters,  for  thou  sludt  find  it 
after  many  days. 

The  word  in  this  verse  translated  "bread"  is,  in  Isaiah  xxviii. 
28,  rendered  "bread-corn :"— "Bread-(corn)  is  bruised,  because  he 
will  not  ever  be  thrashing  it,  nor  break  it  with  the  wheel  of  his 
cart,  nor  bruise  it  with  his  horsemen."  The  same  is  evidently 
the  meaning  of  it  here.  Some,  indeed,  have  fancied  that  the  ab- 
solute hopelessness  of  "casting  bread  upon  the  face  of  the  waters," 
is  designed  to  represent  the  duty  of  beneficence  and  liberality  even 
where  there  does  not  exist  the  slightest  prospect  of  a  return ;  and 
they  object  to  the  view  I  am  now  giving  of  the  allusion,  that  the 
man  who,  in  the  case  supposed,  scatters  his  seed-corn  on  the  waters, 
does  it  with  an  express  view  to  a  future  crop.  But  is  this  really 
a  well-founded  objection?  It  is  true  that  it  is  our  duty  to  "do 
good  and  lend,  hoping  for  nothing  again," — that  is,  for  no  return 
from  the  objects  of  our  kindness.  But  this  does  not  preclude  our 
"having  respect  unto  the  recompense  of  the  reward"  from  a  higher 
quarter.  Nay,  the  prospect  of  an  increase  to  ourselves,  in  temporal 
or  spiritual  good,  is,  in  almost  all  the  passages  that  inculcate  liber- 
ality, held  out  as  an  encouragement  to  the  practice  of  the  duty. 
"Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with  the  first-fruits  of 
all  thine  increase :  so  shall  thy  barns  be  filled  with  plenty,  and 
thy  presses  shall  burst  out  with  new  wine." — "He  that  hath  pity 
upon  the  poor  lendeth  unto  the  Lord ;  and  that  which  he  hath 
given  will  He  pay  him  again." — "When  thou  makest  a  dinner  or 
a  supper,  call  not  thy  friends,  nor  thy  brethren,  neither  thy  kins- 
men, nor  thy  rich  neighbors;  lest  they  also  bid  thee  again,  and  a 
recompense  be  made  thee.     But  when  thou  makest  a  feast,  call  the 


ECCLESIASTE8    XI.    1-8.  361 

poor,  the  maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind;  and  thou  shalt  be  blessed: 
for  they  cannot  recompense  thee;  for  thou  shalt  be  recompensed 
at  the  resurrection  of  the  just." — "But  this  I  say.  He  who  soweth 
sparingly  shall  reap  also  sparingly;  and  he  who  soweth  bounti- 
fully shall  reap  also  bountifully." — "  Charge  them  that  are  rich 
in  this  world,  that  they  be  not  high-minded,  nor  trust  in  uncer- 
tain riches,  but  in  the  living  God,  who  giveth  us  richly  all  things 
to  enjoy;  that  they  do  good,  that  they  be  rich  in  good  works, 
ready  to  distribute,  willing  to  communicate;  laying  up  in  store 
for  themselves  a  good  foundation  against  the  time  to  come,  that 
they  may  lay  hold  on  eternal  life."  Prov.  iii.  9, 10.  xix.  17.  Luke 
xiv.  12-14.  2  Cor.  ix.  6.  1  Tim.  vi.  17-19.  The  obvious  mean- 
ing of  all  such  passages  is,  that  the  liberal  distribution  of  the 
bountiful,  prompted  and  regulated  by  Scriptural  principles,  will, 
in  one  form  or  another,  yield  him  a  profitable  result:  for  "God 
is  not  unrighteous,"  says  the  writer  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
"to  forget  your  work  and  labor  of  love,  which  ye  have  showed 
toward  his  Name,  in  that  ye  have  ministered  to  the  saints,  and  do 
minister."  Heb.  vi.  10.  The  very  same  motive  is  presented  in 
the  verse  before  us : — "  Cast  thy  bread-corn  on  tlie  waters :  for 
thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days."* 

It  may  not  always  yield  to  you  in  this  world  a  return  in  kind ; 
but  it  is  not  forgotten  of  God ;  it  is  not  lost.     Every  work  of 

*  Rev.  Gillian  Lansing,  D.  D.,  American  Missionary  in  Egypt,  in  his  most 
interesting  and  instructive  book — "  Egypt's  Princes,  or  a  Narrative  of  Mission- 
ary labor  in  the  Valley  of  the  Nile,"  (published  by  Wm.  S.  Eentoul,  Phila- 
delphia,)— throws  a  flood  of  light  on  the  meaning  of  this  verse  of  our  author's 
text,  derived  from  his  own  personal  observation  in  his  missionary  tours  in  the 
land  of  Egypt.  It  Avill  be  seen  that,  while  confirming  our  author's  view  of 
the  text  generally.  Dr.  Lansing's  well-known  eminence  a.s  an  Arabic  scholar, 
and  his  familiarity  with  the  colloquial  expressions  of  the  Arabs,  have  en- 
abled him,  in  addition  to  the  testimony  given  from  his  own  observation,  to 
furnish  us  with  a  most  valuable  illustrative  criticism  on  this  and  similar  texts. 
On  pages  81-83  of  his  book,  describing  what  he  saw  from  the  deck  of  his 
Nile-boat,  he  writes : — "  Nearer  the  water's  edge,  a  man  was  sowing  barley  on 
the  strip  of  mud  which  had  been  left  by  the  retreating  Nile.  He  sank  up  to 
the  thighs  in  mud  at  eveiy  step.  This  was  sowing  in  a  good  and  deep  soil, 
one  in  which  an  abundant  harvest  might  be  anticipated  almost  as  a  certainty. 
There  were  neither  thorns  nor  stony  places  ;  still  there  was  danger  of  the  fowls 
of  the  air  devouring  it,  for  they  were  flying  about  in  myriads,  and  the  sun 
and  wind  had  covered  the  surface  with  a  thin,  dry  crust,  into  which  the  seed 
would  not  sink ;  so  that  boys  were  following  in  the  track  of  the  sower,  floun- 
dering in  the  mud,  and,  as  they  went,  harrowing  in  the  seed  with  their  fingers. 
Such  has  hitherto  been  our  seeding  time  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  We  have 
found  a  deep,  rich  soil  in  the  Egyptian  mind.     In  the  little  patches  into  which 


362  LECTURE    XXI. 

charity  performed,  every  gift  of  charity  bestowed,  by  his  people, 
from  loVe  to  His  name  and  regard  to  His  glory,  is  remembered  by 
him  for  good.  The  charity  which  he  delights  iu  and  rewards,  is 
not,  indeed,  that  which  plumes  itself  on  its  doings  as  acts  of  merit, 
and  distributes  its  alms  as  purchase-money  for  heaven.  It  is  that 
which,  disowning  all  self-confidence  and  self-glorying,  is  influ- 
enced by  humble  and  lively  gratitude  for  the  riches  of  Divine 
mercy ;  gives  freely  because  it  has  freely  received ;  testifying  its 
thankfulness  for  the  grace  of  Him  who,  "though  he  w^as  rich,  for 
our  sakes  became  poor,  that  ■we  through  his  poverty  might  be  made 
rich,"  It  "does  good  to  all  as  it  has  opportunity,  especially  to 
those  who  are  of  the  household  of  faith;"  and  whatever  is  done  to 
his  disciples  for  his  sake,  the  blessed  Redeemer  will  at  last  ac- 
knowledge as  having  been  done  to  himself: — "  I  was  hungry,  and 
ye  gave  me  meat;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink;  I  v/as  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in ;  naked,  and  ye  clothed  me ;  I  was 
sick,  and  ye  visited  me;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  came  unto  me." 
And  when  the  righteous,  of  whom  so  very  small  a  proportion  en- 
joyed the  opportunity  of  performing  acts  of  kindness  to  himself 
in  person,  are  represented  as  expressing  their  surprise  at  his  lan- 
guage,— "  Lord,  when  saw  we  thee  hungry,  and  fed  thee?  or  thirsty, 
and  gave  thee  drink?  when  saw  we  thee  a  stranger,  and  took 
thee  in?  or  naked,  and  clothed  thee?  or  when  saw  we  thee  sick 


we  have  been  able  to  cast  the  seed  of  the  Word,  there  is  promise  of  a  golden 
harvest,  and  already  a  few  handfnls  have  been  given  us  as  an  earnest  of  that 
harvest;  but  it  has  hitherto  been  the  lot  of  the  sower  to  go  forth  with  weep- 
ing— waist-deep,  in  a  mire  of  difficulties.  '  But  he  shall  doubtless  come  again 
with  rejoicing,  bearing  his  sheaves  with  him.' 

"  Thix  is  that  sowing  to  u'hich  Solomon  exhorts,  in  Ecc.  xi.  1  .• — '  Cast  thy  bread 
upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days!'  Some  commentators, 
understanding  too  literally  the  particle  'upon,'  which  in  the  margin  is  given 
'upon  the  face  of,'  have  gone  to  the  Indian  rice  marshes  for  an  example  of 
the  actual  casting  of  the  seed  upon  the  surface  of  the  water.  But  the  phrase 
may  mean,  'm  the  presence  of — beside'  the  waters  ;  and  this  agrees  with  the 
fact,  SIS  we  daily  witness,  of  the  peasants  going  forth  and  sowing  the  seed  be- 
side the  retreating  and  drying  up  waters  of  the  river,  the  pools  and  canals, 
and  in  the  broad  fields  through  which  it  can  be  distributed  by  the  water- 
courses; and  the  prophet  Isaiali, xxxii.  20,  says,  'Blessed  are  ye  that  sow  be- 
side, literally  upon,  all  waters.'  This  use  of  the  phrase  'upon  the  waters'  is 
yet  common  in  Arabic.  When  the  people  would  go  out  for  a  pleasure  excur- 
sion, they  gather  up  their  pipes  and  coffee-cups,  and  say,  '  Come,  let  us  go 
and  sit  tipon  the  waters ;'  meaning  beside  the  waters,  on  the  banks  of  some 
neighboring  stream ;  and  the  converse  phrase  is  frequently  used  in  the  Koran, 
in  the  constantly  recurring  promise  to  the  believer,  of '  Gardens,  bereath  which 
flow  rivers  of  waters.'  " — EnrroR. 


ECCI-ESIASTES   XI,    1-8.  363 

or  in  prison  and  came  unto  thee?" — he  explains  his  words  on  the 
principle  that  has  been  mentioned,  of  identifying  himself  with  his 
people,  whom  "he  is  not  ashamed  to  call  his  brethren: — "Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  to  one  of  the  least  of  these 
my  brethren,  ye  did  it  unto  me."  Matt.  xxv.  35-40. 

Our  liberality  ought  to  be  as  widely  diifusive,  as  the  measure 
of  our  prosperity  will  admit:  — 

Verse  2.  Give  a  jiortion  to  seven  and  also  to  eight ;  for  thou  knowcst 
not  ifhat  eiril  shall  be  upon  the  earth. 

"Give  a  portion :'' — The  expression  is  borrowed,  either  from  the 
custom  of  masters  of  feasts  sending  portions  from  before  them  to 
the  different  guests  at  table ;  as  when  Joseph  sent  messes  to  his 
brethren,  distinguishing  Benjamin  above  the  rest  by  the  largeness 
of  the  supply  allotted  to  him;  Gen.  xliii.  34: — or  from  the  prac- 
tice, on  festive  occasions,  of  distributing  gratuitously  to  the  poor. 
"Go  your  way,"  said  Nehemiah  to  the  Israelites,  "eat  the  fat,  and 
drink  the  sweet,  and  send  portions  unto  them  for  whom  nothing  is 
prepared ;  for  this  day  is  holy  unto  our  Lord :  neither  be  ye  sorry, 
for  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  strength,"  Neh.  viii.  10.  The 
Jews  commemorated  their  providential  deliverance  from  the  ex- 
terminating vengeance  of  Haman,  by  "days  of  feasting  and  joy, 
and  of  sending  portions  one  to  another,  and  gifts  to  the  ptoor.^'  Esth, 
ix,  22,  " 

"Give  a  portion  to  seven,  and  also  to  eight:'' — that  is,  sow  bounti- 
fully, and  not  sparingly.  You  are  in  danger  of  keeping  within, 
rather  than  of  going  beyond,  the  proper  boundaries.  You  should, 
therefore,  be  jealous  over  yourselves,  and  allow  none  to  go  un- 
provided for,  whom  it  is  in  your  power  to  supply,  Seven  is  one 
of  the  numbers  significant  in  Scripture  phraseology  of  abundance 
and  completeness.  Go  beyond  it;  rather  than  keep  within  it, 
leaning  to  the  side  on  which  you  are  naturally,  from  the  selfish 
tendencies  of  the  heart,  most  prone  to  err. 

This  cheerful  and  diifusive  liberality  is  further  inforced  by 
another  and  a  very  powerful  consideration: — "for  thou  knowest 
not  what  evil  shall  be  upon  the  earth,"  This  uncertainty  of  hu- 
man aifairs  has  been  frequently  noticed,  in  different  connections, 
in  the  preceding  part  of  this  book.  It  forms,  indeed,  one  of  its 
principal  tliemes.  The  present  may  be  a  season  of  prosperity  ; 
but  it  may  very  soon  be  succeeded  bv  a  time  of  calamitv  and  dis- 


364  LECTURE    XXI. 

tress;  and  our  ignorance  of  what  is  coming  should  lead  us  to  make 
a  proper  use  of  the  bounty  of  Heaven  whilst  it  remains  in  our 
possession:  for — 

In  the  first  place,  we  may  soon,  in  Divine  providence,  be  de- 
prived of  the  means,  and  consequently  of  the  ability,  of  doing  good. 
No  man,  therefore,  should  look  forward  to  a  time  when  he  will  be- 
gin to  lay  out  his  substance  for  benevolent  purposes;  but  each 
should  use  what  he  has  now.  The  contrary  indicates  a  want  of  dis- 
position, which  is  not  very  likely  to  leave  him  when  his  own  con- 
venient time  arrives;  and  long,  too,  ere  that  time  comes,  his  riches 
may  "make  to  themselves  wings  and  fly  away  as  an  eagle  towards 
heaven." 

'Secondly.  When  this  does  happen,  it  becomes  a  sad  reflection; 
a  melancholy  addition  to  a  man's  unhappiness;  that  he  has  not, 
during  his  period  of  prosperity,  been  making  a  proper  use  of  the 
means  of  good  put  into  his  hands, — the  use  of  them  enjoined  by 
the  Giver ; — that  he  has  selfishly  wrapt  up  his  talent  in  a  napkin, 
and  kept  it  close  from  the  poor  and  needy, — till  it  is  gone — un- 
expectedly gone,  and  his  opportunities  irredeemably  lost.  The 
opposite  reflection  is  an  animating  support  to  the  mind  under  the 
most  impoverishing  and  depressing  bereavements ;  when,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  extent  of  our  means,  we  can  say  with  Job, — "When 
the  ear  heard  me,  then  it  blessed  me ;  and  when  the  eye  saw  me, 
it  gave  witness  unto  me :  because  I  delivered  the  poor  that  cried, 
and  the  fatherless,  and  him  that  had  none  to  help  him:  the  bless- 
ing of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish  came  upon  me ;  and  I  caused 
the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy. — I  was  eyes  to  the  blind,  and 
feet  was  I  to  the  lame.  I  was  a  father  to  the  poor."  Job  xxix. 
11-13,  15,  16. 

Thirdly ;  It  is  frequently  of  consequence  to  us,  to  secure  friends 
in  the  time  of  our  prosperity,  against  the  day  of  possible  calamity 
and  suffering. — It  sometimes  happens,  that  entire  reverses  take 
place  in  the  circumstances  of  men ;  and  that  he  who  has  assisted 
and  relieved  others,  requires  relief  and  assistance  from  the  very 
objects  of  his  kindness.  It  appears  to  be  to  such  vicissitudes  in 
human  condition  that  Paul  refers,  when,  exhorting  the  Christians 
at  Corinth  to  liberality  in  their  contributions  for  the  poor  saints 
who  were  at  Jerusalem,  he  says  to  them :  "  For  I  mean  not  that 
other  men  be  eased,  and  you  burdened:  but  by  an  equality:  that 


ECCLESIASTES    XI.    1-8.  365 

now  at  this  time  your  abundance  may  be  a  supply  for  their  want, 
that  their  abundance  also  may  be  a  supply  for  your  want,  that 
there  may  be  equality ;  as  it  is  written,  He  that  had  gathered  much 
had  nothing  over,  and  he  that  had  gathered  little  had  no  lack ;" 
2  Cor.  viii.  13-15: — every  man  who,  in  the  collecting  of  the 
manna,  to  which  the  last  expression  alludes,  was  found,  in  the 
general  measurement,  to  have  gathered  more  than  the  daily  allow- 
ance of  an  omer  for  each  member  of  his  house-hold,  supplying  by 
his  superfluity  the  deficiency  of  his  neighbors. — By  the  benevolent 
appropriation  of  a  part  of  our  substance,  friends  may  be  acquired, 
whose  grateful  services  may,  at  a  future  time,  and  in  altered  cir- 
cumstances, be  of  essential  benefit  to  us.  And  if,  in  our  time  of 
need,  they  should  disappoint  us,  and  give  us  to  experience  the 
bitterness  of  ingratitude,  still  we  shall  be  able  to  look  up  with 
confidence  to  the  Author  of  our  blessings  and  our  trials;  whose 
providence  will  not  forsake  or  leave  destitute  those  who  had  en- 
deavored to  act  as  faithful  stewards  of  his  bounty,  so  long  as  he 
had  been  pleased  to  continue  it  with  them. 

In  what  opposite  ways  may  the  same  consideration  be  applied ! 
The  very  circumstance  which  Solomon  here  urges  as  a  reason  for 
present  and  generous  liberality,  the  covetous  worldly-minded  man 
pleads  as  an  apology  for  hoarding.  I  know  not,  he  says,  "what 
evil  may  come  ujion  the  earth :"  I  must,  therefore,  take  good  care 
of  what  I  have  got.  I  must  reserve  it  to  meet  the  contingencies 
of  futurity.  Who  can  tell  but  I  may  otherwise  come  to  depend- 
ence, and  die  poor  myself? — A  prudent  precaution,  to  prevent  our 
becoming  a  burden  upon  others  in  the  time  of  age  and  infirmity, 
is  by  no  means  to  be  condemned.  But  it  is  an  awful  perversion, 
when  the  apprehension  of  future  possibilities  is  made  an  excuse 
for  griping  avarice.  How  much  more  noble  the  use  that  is  made, 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  of  our  ignorance  of  the  future !  Instead  of 
withholding  from  others  on  this  ground,  says  Solomon, — rather 
give  while  you  have  to  give, — and  give  liberally ; — lose  not  the 
precious  opportunity; — "it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  re- 
ceive;"— enjoy,  then,  the  pleasure  of  present  beneficence; — "give 
a  portion  to  seven,  and  also  to  eight;  for  thou  knowest  not  what 
evil  shall  be  upon  the  earth." 

He  then,  by  a  very  beautiful  figure,  illustrates  the  duty  of  the 
man  who  enjoys  the  munificence  of  heaven : — 


366  J.ECTUIIE    XXI. 

Verse  3.  If  the  clouds  be  full  of  rain,  they  empty  themselves  upon 
the  earih. 

From  earth,  and  seas,  and  lakes,  and  rivers,  the  sun  exhales 
immense  quantities  of  watery  vapors.  These  condense  in  the 
atmosphere  into  clouds ;  and  the  clouds  do  not  retain  their  pre- 
cious treasure,  but,  agreeably  to  the  kind  intention  of  the  wonder- 
working Author  of  nature,  discharge  their  contents  upon  the  earth 
in  refreshing  and  fertilizing  showers.  A  bountiful  man  is  a 
"cloud  full  of  rain"  to  the  parched  wilderness  of  poverty.  A 
parsimonious  niggard  is  a  "cloud  without  water,"  yielding  nothing 
but  disappointment  and  mortification  to  the  anxious  expectant  of 
a  blessing.  In  the  sultry  climate  of  the  East,  a  cloud  charged 
with  rain  is  sometimes  inexpressibly  precious.  The  very  look, 
the  very  thought  of  it,  is  refreshment.  And  as  the  clouds  are 
formed,  by  the  provision  of  nature,  for  the  express  purpose  of 
watering  the  earth;  so  is  the  bounty  of  providence  bestowed  on 
men,  not  merely  for  themselves,  but  "  that  they  may  have  to  give 
to  him  that  needeth."  They  receive,  that  they  may  impart.  They 
are  blessed,  that  they  may  be  a  blessing. 

The  meaning  of  the  remaining  clause  of  the  same  verse  is  not 
so  obvious: — 

And  if  the  tree  fall  touxird  the  south,  or  torvard  the  north,  hi  the 
place  where  the  treefcdleth,  there  it  shall  he. 

These  words  are  very  commonly  used  to  express  the  sentiment, 
that  whatever  character  belongs  to  a  man  when  he  quits  the 
world,  that  character  he  must  retain;  there  can  be  no  subsequent 
change :  as  death  finds  him  it  finally  •  fixes  him ;  pronouncing 
the  sentence,  "He  that  is  unjust,  let  him  be  unjust  still;  and  he 
that  is  filthy,  let  him  be  filthy  still;  and  he  that  is  righteous,  let 
him  be  righteous  still ;  and  he  that  is  holy,  let  him  be  holy  still." — 
This  yields  a  good  sense;  and  one  by  no  means  remote  from  tlie 
general  scope  of  the  passage.  The  possessor  of  heaven's  bounty, 
is  reminded  that  he  must  fall  before  the  stroke  of  death;  that 
when  he  does  fall,  his  state  is  for  ever  fixed,  according  to  his 
character  and  works  while  he  lived:  and  a  motive  is  thus  set  be- 
fore him  to  benevolent  activity  and  pious  eftbrt,  drawn  from  the 
uncertainty  of  life,  and  from  the  fearful  consequences  of  being 
taken  away  amidst  a  course  of  selfish  prosperity  and  worldly- 
mindedness;  of  large  promises,  it  inay  be,  for  the  future,  and 


ECCLESIA.STE,S    XI.    1-8  367 

entire  neglect  of  present  duty;  and  having  liis  state  fixed  ibr  ever, 
beyond  the  possibility  of  change  or  remedy. 

From  the  connection,  however,  the  general  import  of  the  figure 
seems  rather  to  be,  the  security  of  a  return  to  the  man  of  princi- 
pled beneficence.— In  v/hatever  quarter  thy  bounty  is  dispersed, 
thou  shalt  find  it  again.  As  where  the  tree  falls  it  lies,  so  thy 
charity  is  not  lo-st.  Give  in  all  directions;  for  thou  shalt  find  it 
again: — thy  recompense  is  secure.  It  is  the  same  sentiment, 
otherwise  expressed,  with  that  in  the  first  verse, — "for  tliou  shalt 
find  it  after  many  days." 

This  is  a  subject,  respecting  v/iiich  men  arc  ever  disposed  to 
find,  and  ingenious  at  inventing,  excuses.  Their  circumstances, 
their  families,  their  necessary  expenditure,  the  uncertainties  of 
business,  the  ingratitude  and  the  vices  of  the  poor, — and  especially 
their  fears  about  what  may  happen ; — these,  with  other  apologies, 
they  plead  to  themselves  and  to  one  another,  for  not  giving,  or  at 
least  for  not  giving  noto, — for  satisfying  themselves  at  present 
with  hoping  what  they  may  be  able  to  do  hereafter, — for  transact- 
ing the  business  of  charity,  not  by  cash  payments,  but  by  prom- 
issory notes  at  distant  dates,  which,  when  the  time  of  demand 
arrives,  they  find  fresli  excuses  for  renewing. — It  is  against  the 
timid  withholders  of  present  charity,  that  the  fourth  verse  is  di- 
rected : — 

Verse  4.  He  that  obserceih  the  iinnd  shall  not  sou-;  and  he  that 
regardeth  the  clouds  shall  not  reap. 

The  husbandman  must  take  his  seed-time  and  harvest  as  they 
are  sent  to  him  by  the  God  of  the  seasons.  The  weather  is  not 
in  his  choice.  If  he  minds  every  cold  wind  that  blows,  or  every 
cloud  that  gathers  in  the  sky  and  threatens  a  shower,  he  may  lose 
both  his  spring  and  his  autumn.  Day  after  day  may  pass;  while 
he  is  marking  the  direction  of  the  wind,  and  gazing  on  the  face 
of  the  sky,  in  timid  hesitation  whether  he  may  safely  scatter  his 
seed,  or  put  in  his  sickle;  till  the  proper  season  is  gone,  and  leaves 
him  nothing  but  fruitless  regrets  that  he  cannot  recall  it. — The 
lesson  taught  by  the  comparison  is,  that  we  should  fulfill  the 
duties  of  benevolence  v/heu  it  is  in  our  power;  embracing  with 
alacrity  every  opportunity  of  doing  good;  not  startled  and  pre- 
vented by  every  little  circumstance  that  may  occasion  inconvenience 
or  apprehension ;  deferring,  and  deferring,  from  excessive  scrupu- 


368  LECTURE    XXI. 

losity,  and  morbid  fearfulness  of  possible  mistakes  and  impositions, 
till  our  oi)portunities  of  usefulness  are  irrecoverably  gone. 

But  let  not  this  principle  be  pushed  to  an  extreme.  Let  it  not 
be  considered  as  entirely  precluding  the  exercise  of  prudence  and 
caution.  In  the  whole  of  the  business  of  life  these  are  serviceable, 
and  in  few  things  more  so  than  in  the  practice  of  benevolence. 
The  farmer,  although  he  cannot  always  get  weather  in  every  re- 
spect to  his  mind,  will  not,  however,  purposely  choose  an  un- 
favorable day,  either  for  sowing  or  for  reaping.  So  ought  we  to 
select  our  objects  and  our  opportunities  to  the  best  advantage,  lest 
we  should  bestow  charity  that  will  be  unproductive  of  good,  or 
even  fruitful  of  evil, — being  conferred  on  improper  persons,  at  un- 
seasonable times,  or  in  an  unsuitable  manner. 

We  ought,  especially,  to  beware  of  allowing  our  fears  about  the 
future,  to  preponderate  against  the  sense  of  present  duty ;  for  this 
kind  of  irresolute  apprehensiveness  w^ould  lead  us  to  refrain  from 
doing  any  thing  that  promises  to  be  productive  of  good,  because 
in  every  case  there  is  a  posdbility  of  failure, — the  future  arrange- 
ments of  providence  being  entirely  beyond  our  penetration : — 

Verse  5.  As  thou  hnowest  not  what  is  the  way  of  the  spirit,  nor 
how  the  bones  do  groio  in  the  loomh  of  her  that  is  with  child;  even  so 
thou  hiowest  not  the  ivorks  of  God  who  maketh  all. 

By  "the  way  of  the  spirit,"  some  understand  tlie  way  of  the 
wind.  "The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearestthe 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  or  whither  it 
goeth."  And  this  being  used  by  our  Lord  as  an  emblem  of  the 
mysterious  operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  the  minds  of 
men, — ("  So  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit,") — to  these 
operations  the  expression  before  us  has  by  others  been  conceived 
to  refer.  I  am  inclined  to  think,  however,  that  "the  spirit"  here 
means,  neither  the  wind  nor  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  the  human  soul. 
Its  connection  with  what  follows  in  the  verse,  gives  more  than 
probability  to  this  interpretation.  "Thou  knowest  not  the  way 
of  the  spirit,  nor  how  the  bones  do  grow  in  the  womb  of  her  that 
is  with  child."  The  formation  and  growth  of  the  human  foetus 
in  the  womb,  is  one  of  those  secret  wonders  of  nature,  of  which 
there  are  so  many,  that  elude  our  penetration.  Anatomical  skill, 
indeed,  may  ascertain  many  facts  respecting  the  successive  stages 
of  its  progress  from  conception  to  maturity ;  but  questions  might 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.   1-8.  369 

still  be  asked,  to  which  the  most  experienced  anatomist  could  give 
no  reply  but  an  acknowledgment  of  his  ignorance.  We  are  "  fear- 
fully and  wonderfully  made."  The  structure  of  our  frame,  so 
"curiously  Avrought,"  so  singularly  complicated,  so  exquisitely 
adapted  in  all  its  parts  to  all  its  functions,  is  one  of  the  most 
marvellous  products  of  the  wisdom  of  Divine  contrivance,  and 
the  power  and  skill  of  Divine  operation.  The  beautiful  provision 
made  for  the  sustenance  and  growth  of  the  embryo  man  by  the 
system  of  foetal  circulation, — the  entrance  of  the  principle  of  ani- 
mal life,  indicated  by  its  first  faint  fluttering  movement, — and  the 
gradual  increase  of  living  vigor,  till,  by  the  pangs  of  parturition, 
it  is  thrown  from  its  prison,  utters  its  first  cry,  and  draws  for  it- 
self the  vital  air  of  heaven ; — all  is  full  of  mystery  and  wonder. 
But  there  is  another  secret.  When,  and  whence,  cometh  "the 
spirit?" — the  immortal  soul?  At  what  time  does  it  take  posses- 
sion of  its  tenement?  Does  it  enter  with  the  principle  of  animal 
life,  when  the  infant  first  stirs  in  the  womb? — or  does  it  unite 
itself  with  the  body  at  the  moment  of  its  birth  into  the  world  ? — 
To  such  inquiries  we  can  return  no  certain  answer.  We  neither 
know  "the  way  of  the  spirit,"  nor  "how  the  bones  do  grov/  in 
the  womb  of  her  that  is  with  child."  The  very  union  itself  oi 
immaterial  and  invisible  spirit  with  gross  corporeal  substance, 
has  been,  is,  and  ever  will  be,  incomprehensible  by  our  feeble 
reason  ;  and  the  time  and  the  manner  of  their  first  coalition  is  alike 
a  mystery. 

"  Even  so  thou  knowest  not  the  works  of  God,  who  maketh 
all." — We  may  apply  this  particularly  to  the  subject  of  the  pre- 
ceding verses,  or  more  generally  to  the  various  departments  of  the 
Divine  procedure.  There  are  wonders  in  providence,  as  well  as 
in  creation.  God  has  singular  ways  of  working  in  both.  You 
may  say, — We  cannot  tell  how  we  sire  to  obtain  any  return  for 
our  liberality; — we  cannot  imagine,  how  giving  away  should  fail 
to  make  us  poorer, — how,  by  scattering,  our  substance  should  in- 
crease. But  God's  ways  are  not  your  ways.  He  eflfects  his  pur- 
poses by  hidden  arrangements,  that  are  promoting  their  ends  even 
when  to  you  they  may  seem  for  the  time  to  counteract  them;  and 
that  bring  about  events  altogether  out  of  the  range  of  human  ex- 
pectation. In  your  ignorance  of  the  Divine  administration,  yoiir 
best  course  is  to  discharge  your  duty  with  cheerfulness,  and  with- 
24 


370  LECTURE  XXI. 

out  fruitless  anxieties  and  apprehensions ;  confiding  in  his  wis- 
dom, faithfulness,  and  love;  "committing  your  way  unto  him, 
and  trusting  in  him,  that  he  Hvill  bring  it  to  pass;"  using  what- 
ever measure  of  his  bounty  he  bestows  upon  you,  according  to  his 
own  directions,  without  reserve  and  without  fear  of  the  issue.  A 
proper  feeling  of  reverence  for  God,  who  "doeth  great  things  past 
finding  out,  yea,  and  marvellous  things  without  number,"  should 
lead  us  to  this  implicit  obedience  and  implicit  reliance.  "There 
is  no  searching  of  his  understanding."  "  O  the  depth  of  the  riches, 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God !  How  unsearchable 
are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out!" 

Every  good,  and  especially  every  benevolent  action,  dictated 
by  the  principles  of  the  word  of  God,  is  sowing  seed  for  a  futvire 
harvest:  and  true  wisdo'm  consists  in  doing  this  daily, — con- 
stantly,— losing  no  time,  no  opportunity:— 

Verse  6.  In  the  morning  sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold 
not  thy  hand :  for  thou  knowest  not  whether  shall  prosper,  either  this 
or  that,  or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike  good. 

Many  of  our  attempts  at  good  may  fail  of  the  desired  end;  and 
some  of  them  may  even  produce  results  opposite  to  our  intentions. 
But  such  occurrences  should  not  discourage  us.  Let  them  dic- 
tate prudence,  but  never  inspire  despondency.  Let  them  direct 
our  eiforts,  but  by  no  means  slacken  them.  If  the  sowing  of  the 
m  orning  fails,  that  of  the  evening  may  yield  a  crop ;  and  we  can- 
not previously  tell  but  that  both  may  be  equally  productive.  We 
cannot  ascertain  beforehand  which  of  our  endeavors  is  to  be  most 
successful,  nor  can  we  be  certain  as  to  any  one  of  them,  that  it  will 
not  prosper.  We  may  be  tempted  to  try  nothing,  by  the  morbid 
apprehension  of  failure.  The  better  course  is,  to  calculate  on  some 
of  our  attempts  failing ;  and  on  this  account,  that  we  may  have 
the  greater  probability  of  succeeding  in  some,  to  make  them  the 
more  numerous ;  whilst,  at  the  same  time,  we  bring  to  bear  upon 
every  one  of  them  the  entire  amount  of  prudence  and  forethought 
we  possess,  that,  as  far  as  lieth  in  us,  we  may  insure  a  favorable 
issue  to  them  all.  We  shall  then  fulfil,  in  its  true  spirit,  the  di- 
rection contained  in  this  verse. — "Let  us  not  be  weary  in  well- 
doing ;  for  in  due  season  we  shall  reap,  if  we  faint  not.  As  we 
have  therefore,  opportunity,  let  us  do  good  unto  all,  especially 
unto  them  who  are  of  the  household  of  faith."  Gal.  vi.  9,  10. 


ECCLESIASTE3   XI.    1-8.  371 

It  ought  further  to  be  remembered,  that  even  if  all  our  designs 
and  schemes  of  usefulness  should,  by  unforeseen  circumstances, 
be  frustrated;  yet,  having  been  in  our  hearts,  and  having  been 
attempted  from  right  motives,  even  from  the  principles  of  benevo- 
lence and  piety,  they  are,  in  the  estimate  of  God,  the  same  as  if 
they  had  been  attended  with  the  most  perfect  success.  Men  are 
exceedingly  apt  to  form  their  judgment  of  actions  according  to  the 
issue  of  them.  But  He  who  "searcheth  the  heart"  "judgeth  righte- 
ous judgment;"  and  even  of  the  good  intention  to  Avhich  his  pro- 
vidence denies  accomplishment,  he  says  to  its  projector,  "Thou 
didst  well  that  it  was  in  thy  heart." 

It  is  natural,  that  men  should  desire  prosperity: — 

Verse  7.  Truly  the  light  is  sweet,  and  a  'pleasant  thing  it  is  for  the 
eyes  to  behold  the  sun. 

Light  is  a  beautiful  emblem  of  happiness  or  joy.  We  at  once, 
by  a  kind  of  instinctive  association,  connect  with  it  the  idea  of 
cheerfulness  and  pleasure;  and  that  of  melancholy  and  mourning 
with  darkness.  This  is  so  natural,  so  accordant  with  universal 
feeling,  that  the  figure  is,  I  suppose,  common  to  all  languages.  It 
occurs  frequently  in  the  Scriptures.  "Light  is  sown  for  the  righte- 
ous, and  gladness  for  the  upright  in  heart." — "  If  thou  draw  out 
thy  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  satisfy  the  afflicted  soul;  then  shall 
thy  light  rise  in  obscurity,  and  thy  darkness  shall  be  as  the  noon- 
day."-—"The  light  of  the  wicked  shall  be  put  out,  and  the  spark 
of  his  fire  shall  not  shine.  The  light  shall  be  dark  in  his  taber- 
nacle, and  his  candle  shall  be  put  out  with  him." — "The  light  of 
God's  countenance"  is  the  cheering  influence  of  his  favor;  and, 
to  express  the  uninterrupted  joy  of  the  heavenly  state;  the  absence 
of  those  alternations  of  gladness  and  gloom  that  characterize  the 
present  life;  it  is  beautifully  said,  "  There  shall  be  no  niglit  there." 
It  is  "the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light."  The  heavenly  city, 
seen  by  John  in  the  visions  of  God,  "  had  no  need  of  the  sun, 
neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  in  it;  for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten 
it,  and  the  Lamb  was  the  light  thereof." 

But,  desirable  as  prosperity  is,  it  cannot  be  secured.  This  word 
is,  in  every  man's  experience,  although  in  very  various  propor- 
tions, a  scene  of  alternate  light  and  shade,  clouds  and  sunshine  :— 

Verse  8.  But  if  a  man  live  many  years,  and  rejoice  in  them  aU, 
yet  let  him  remember  the  days  of  darkness,  for  they  shall  be  many. 
All  that  cometh  is  vanity. 


372  LECTURE   XXI. 

Long  continued  prosperity  is  very  dangerous  to  its  possessor. 
It  is  apt  to  make  him  forget  himself;  to  seduce  his  aifections  from 
better  things,  and  to  lead  him  to  say  within  himself,  "  This  is  my 
rest."  But  however  long  and  uninterruptedly  prosperity  may 
have  been  enjoyed,  its  continuance,  even  for  a  day  longer,  can 
never  be  counted  upon.  *'  Days  of  darkness  "  may  be  near,  when 
a  man  is  least  apprehending  their  approach.  The  day  that  has 
gratified  his  utmost  wishes  may  be  the  day  that  gives  beginning 
to  disappointments  and  troubles.  The  sun  of  his  prosperity  may 
be  eclipsed  in  its  meridian  altitude.  The  moment  that  has  cleared 
his  sky  of  its  only  remaining  cloud,  may  be  the  moment  that  gives 
indications  of  the  coming  storm. — And  as  the  days  of  darkness 
may  be  near  when  least  anticipated,  they  may  also  be  "  many,"  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  the  previous  days  of  light.  Often  has 
lasting  prosperity  been  succeeded  by  protracted  affliction ;  many 
days  of  sunshine  and  gladness  by  many  of  "darkness  and  gloomi- 
ness, of  clouds  of  thick  darkness." — Let  no  man,  therefore,  say, 
"  I  shall  not  be  moved ;  for  I  shall  never  be  in  adversity."  Job, 
in  the  season  of  his  felicity  and  glory,  when  "the  candle  of  the 
Lord  shined  upon  his  head,  and  by  his  light  he  walked  through 
darkness," — when,  according  to  another  of  his  beautiful  figures, 
"his  root  was  spread  out  by  the  waters,  and  the  dew  lay  all  night 
upon  his  branch," — Job  then  said,  "  I  shall  die  in  my  nest,  I  shall 
multiply  my  days  as  the  sand."  But  while  he  was  saying  so,  un- 
thought-of  troubles  were  gathering  round  him.  The  predatory 
bands  of  the  Sabeans  and  Chaldeans  were  on  their  march,  to  drive  off 
his  herds,  and  murder  his  servants ; — the  "fire  of  God"  was  falling 
from  heaven,  and  consuming  his  flocks  with  their  shepherds; — 
and  the  "great  wind  from  the  wilderness"  was  smiting  the  four 
corners  of  the  "house  of  feasting,"  and  burying  in  its  ruins  his 
entire  family,  his  "seven  sons  and  his  three  daughters!"  While 
he  was  saying  so,  the  intelligence  came  that  laid  him  among  the 
ashes,  an  agonized  and  desolate  mourner,  with  his  head  shaven, 
and  his  mantle  torn; — the  commencement  of  "wearisome  days," 
and  "  months  of  vanity,"  during  which  "  his  harp  was  turned  to 
mourning,  and  his  organ  to  the  voice  of  them  that  weep." — The 
man  who  never  anticipates  and  expects  trouble  must  be  but  ill 
prepared  to  stand  it  when  it  comes.  And  since  "all  that  cometh 
is  vanity;" — since  our  joys  are  precarious  and  transient;  since 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.  1-8.  373 

we  cannot  say  with  effect  to  the  sun  of  our  prosperity,  "Stand 
thou  still/'  when  a  higher  authority  commands  it  to  decline  into 
the  twilight  of  fear,  and  the  night  of  darkness  and  sorrow ; — O 
how  unutterably  foolish  is  the  man  who  trusts  to  this  vanity,  and 
calculates  on  no  reverse! 

As  a  part  of  the  improvement  of  these  verses,  my  friends,  allow 
me, — 

1.  In  the  first  place;  To  extend  a  little  this  thought,  of  the  suc- 
cession of  "days  of  darkness"  to  days  of  light  and  prosperity.—^ 
Although  such  days  should  not  at  all  overtake  the  prosperous 
worlding  during  his  earthly  life; — though  his  entire  course  here 
below  should  be  marked  by  success  in  all  his  pursuits,  and  the 
fulfilment  of  all  his  wishes ; — yet,  ah !  if  he  dies  as  he  has  lived, 
"a  man  of  the  world,  who  has  his  portion  in  this  life,"  days  of 
darkness, — many  days  of  darkness, — an  eternity  of  darkness,  awaits 
him.  When  the  light  of  his  earthly  prosperity  is  extinguished, 
it  must  be  succeeded  by  "the  blackness  of  darkness  for  ever." 
O  then,  how  much  more  blessed  is  the  j^oorest  of  the  children  of 
God,  who,  though  his  "days  of  darkness"  on  earth  be  "many," 
possesses,  amidst  the  deepest  of  their  gloom,  "a  joy  with  which  a 
stranger  cannot  intermeddle," — a  "good  portion,  that  shall  not 
be  taken  away  from  him," — a  "treasure  in  the  heavens  that  faileth 
not;" — who,  in  the  midst  of  darkness,  has  light  from  the  Lord  ; 
and  who  has  the  prosj)ect  of  that  land  of  light, — of  knowledge, 
and  purity,  and  bliss, — where  "the  days  of  his  mourning  shall  be 
ended," — where  the  "  Lord  shall  be  his  everlasting  light,  and  his 
God  his  glory !"  Jesus  "  lifted  up  his  eyes  on  his  disciples,  and 
said.  Blessed  are  ye  poor;  for  yours  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Blessed  are  ye  that  hunger  now;  for  ye  shall  be  filled.  Blessed 
are  ye  that  weep  now;  for  ye  shall  laugh.  But  woe  unto  you 
that  are  rich  !  for  ye  have  received  your  consolation.  Woe  unto 
you  that  are  full !  for  ye  shall  hunger.  Woe  unto  you  that 
laugh  now !  for  ye  shall  mourn  and  weep." — The  "  days  of  dark- 
ness" in  this  world  may  come;  but  if  you  live  and  die  without 
God,  the  days  of  darkness  of  which  I  now  speak  must  come.  As 
to  this  there  is  no  uncertainty.  It  is  sure  as  the  word  and  oath 
of  the  God  of  truth.  All  the  impenitent  enemies  of  God  and  his 
Son,  all  the  careless  neglecters  of  the  great  salvation,  shall  be 
banished  from  the  blessed  light  of  heaven  to  the  darkness  of  hell, 
where  no  ray  of  gladness  or  of  hope  enlivens  the  perpetual  gloom. 


374  LECTURE    XXI. 

But,  blessed  be  God,  these  days  of  everlasting  darkness  may  be 
avoided.  "I  am  the  Light  of  the  world,"  says  the  Redeemer  of 
men;  "he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but  shall 
have  the  light  of  life."  And  "  truly  this  light  is  SM^eet ;"  sweet  at 
all  times;  peculiarly  sweet,  in  the  season  of  adversity;  shining 
then  in  the  dwellings  of  the  righteous,  and  making  their  hearts 
glad,  when  the  lights  of  their  earthly  joy  are  dark  in  their  taber- 
nacle. And  it  is  an  everlasting  light, — "the  light  of  life," — of 
life  eternal.  If  you  would  possess  the  light  of  true  joy,  you  must 
come  to  the  Fountain  of  light, — even  to  Him  of  whom  it  is  said, 
"In  him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men." 

2.  In  the  second  place ;  We  should  learn  to  consider  ourselves 
as  debtors  to  one  another,  and  to  our  fellow-men  in  general,  in 
every  thing  by  which  God  puts  it  in  our  power  to  profit  them. — 
Whatever  be  the  gift  we  have  received,  it  becomes  our  duty  to 
"  minister  the  same  one  to  another,  as  good  stewards  of  the  mani- 
fold grace  of  God."  The  exhortation  in  the  beginning  of  the 
chapter  may  be  applied,  in  all  its  emphasis,  to  spiritual  as  well  as 
to  temporal  things.  This,  indeed,  is  the  peculiar  province  of 
Christian  charity.  In  its  efforts  and  sacrifices  for  the  corporeal 
and  other  temporal  comforts  of  men,  it  finds  many  associates 
amongst  those  who  are  alive  to  the  claims  of  humanity  and  com- 
passion, although  they  are  destitute  of  religious  principle : — but 
having  learned  to  "  seek  first,"  for  himself,  "  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  his  righteousness," — having  been  taught  the  preciousuess  of 
the  soul,  and  the  value  of  eternal  blessings,  the  Christian  takes 
into  the  range  of  his  benevolent  contemplations  and  schemes  of 
usefulness,  the  everlasting  existence  of  the  objects  of  his  pitying 
regard.  To  leave  this  out  of  the  account,  is  the  prevalent  defect 
of  what  is  extolled  as  benevolence  amongst  men ;  but  it  is  the 
extreme  of  inconsistency  and  folly.  It  is  infinitely  more  foolish, 
than  if  a  man  were  to  expend  all  his  counsel  and  his  pains  to  ob- 
tain for  another  the  ease  and  comfort  of  an  hour,  whilst  he  wilfully 
disregarded  what  might  secure  the  happiness  of  a  lifetime; — or, 
than  if  a  medical  practitioner  were  to  bend  all  his  attention,  and  de- 
vote all  his  skill,  to  some  slight  topical  ailment,  whilst  he  allowed 
a  deadly  disease  to  prey  upon  the  constitution  with  unheeded, 
unmitigated,  and  fatal  fury.  The  eternal  salvation  of  sinners  has 
been  the  great  object  of  Divine  benevolence ;  for  the  accomplish- 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.    1-8.  376 

ment  of  which,  all  the  wonders  have  been  wrought  of  the  mediation 
of  the  Son  of  God.  It  was  for  this  that  "he  who  was  in  the  form 
of  God,  and  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  made 
himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant, 
and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men ;  and,  being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even 
the  death  of  the  cross."  He  who  neglects  the  spiritual  and  eternal 
interests  of  men,  is  not  of  one  mind  with  God.  His  benevolence 
is  wretchedly  defective  and  spurious.  He  wants  the  spirit  of 
that  world  of  love,  where  "there  is  joy  over  one  sinner  tliat  re- 
penteth." 

3.  Thirdly;  Let  Christian  ministers,  Christian  parents,  teachers 
of  Sabbath  schools,  and  the  disciples  of  Christ  in  general,  in  their 
various  departments  of  usefulness,  be  encouraged  to  cast  the  seed 
of  spiritual  instruction  upon  the  waters.  We  shall  find  it  after 
many  days.  "Be  instant,  in  season,  out  of  season;"  not  consult- 
ing, but  cheerfully  sacrificing,  your  own  ease  and  convenience. 
"In  the  morning  sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not 
thy  hand ;  for  thou  knowest  not  whether  shall  prosper,  either  this 
or  that;  or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike  good."  In  some 
cases,  it  may  be  long  before  any  of  the  seed  begins  to  spring;  and 
in  others,  whole  fields  may  speedily  be  "white  unto  harvest." 
There  is  not  in  the  spiritual  the  same  regularity  of  return  as  in 
the  natural  world.  Sometimes,  the  seed  is  no  sooner  sown  than 
the  blade  appears,  and  is  rapidly  succeeded  by  "  the  ear  and  the 
full  corn  in  the  ear,"  At  other  times,  it  may  lie  in  the  soil  till 
you  think  it  must  be  rotten,  and  sigh  over  it  as  lost;  and  when 
hope  is  gone,  and  you  have  given  up  all  thoughts  of  iis  ever  ap- 
pearing, that  may  be  the  very  moment  when  the  principle  of  life 
from  God  quickens  the  gerni,  and  surprises  and  delights  you  with 
the  unexpected  beauties  of  spiritual  vegetation. 

4.  Fourthli/;  In  the  spiritual,  as  in  the  natural  world,  "it  is  God 
that  giveth  the  increase."  It  was  so,  when  Paul  planted,  and  Apollos 
watered ;  and  it  is  so  still.  "  Neither  is  he  that  planteth  any  thing, 
nor  he  that  watereth ;  but  God  that  giveth  the  increase."  But  an  in- 
crease from  the  seed  of  the  word  is  graciously  promised : — "As  the 
rain  cometh  down  and  the  snow  from  heaven,  and  returneth  not 
thither,  but  watereth  the  earth,  and  makcth  it  bring  forth  and  bud, 
that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower,  and  bread  to  the  eater:  so  shall 


376  LECTURE  xxr. 

my  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth ;  it  shall  not  return 
unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and 
it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I  send  it."  Isa.  Iv.  10, 11. — 
Y/hen  we  sow  our  seed,  therefore,  let  our  prayers  ascend  for  the 
quickening  influences  of  heaven ;  and  when  any  increase  appears, 
let  our  acknowledgments  be  made  for  those  influences  to  the  God 
ol"  all  grace.  The  prayer  of  faith  shall  not  be  unanswered;  the 
exertions  of  zeal  shall  not  be  unblessed ;  the  seed-time  of  instruction 
shall  be  followed  by  a  harvest  of  the  "  fruits  of  righteousness ;" 
the  "work  and  labor  of  love"  shall  not  be  forgotten  of  Him  for 
whose  sake,  and  to  the  glory  of  whose  name,  it  is  done. 

5.  Fifthly ;  And,  my  Christian  brethren,  if  a  portion  of  your 
worldly  substance  be  required  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  the 
bread  of  life  to  famishing  millions,  will  you  withhold  it?  Will 
you  keep  it  back  from  Him  out  of  whose  treasures  you  have  re- 
«)eived  it;  who  still  says,  "The  silver  is  mine,  and  the  gold  is 
mine;"  who  honors  you  by  j)utting  it  in  your  power  to  promote 
his  cause;  who  encourages  you  to  liberality  by  the  promise  of  his 
blessing;  and  who  is  able  to  "canker  your  gold  and  silver,"  and 
cause  "the  rust  of  them  to  witness  against  you?" — "Honor  the 
Lord  with  your  substance." — "There  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet 
increaseth."  Be  not  deaf  to  the  appeals  of  Heaven.  Let  the 
pleading  voice  of  the  whole  Heathen  world  be  heard.  Let  the 
claims  of  "  the  seed  of  Abraham,  God's  friend,"  awaken  the  grate- 
ful sensibilities  of  your  hearts,  and  open  your  hands  to  liberality. 
Seize  the  present  opportunity.  Let  it  not  pass  unimproved.  Seek 
not  after  apologies  for  refusal.  Cover  not  a  grudging  disposition 
by  plausible  objections.  Let  not  Conscience  he  bribed  and  cajoled 
by  Avarice.  Put  not  to  the  credit  of  prudence  and  principle  what 
belongs  to  the  account  of  hardhearted  selfishness,  and  the  "  love 
of  this  present  world."  Allow  no  imaginary  obstacles,  or  trifling 
difficulties,  to  bar  the  present  exercise  of  your  Christian  generosity. 
"  Cast  you  bread-corn  on  the  face  of  the  waters."  "  Give  a  portion 
to  seven  and  also  to  eight." — How  powerful  is  the  Divine  ex- 
postulation with  Israel  by  the  prophet  Haggai !  Hear  it,  with  an 
awakened  conscience  and  a  willing  mind.  "Is  it  time  for  you, 
O  ye,  to  dwell  in  your  cieled  houses,  and  this  house  lie  waste? 
Now  therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Consider  your  ways. 
Ye  have  sown  much,  and  bring  in  little;  ye  eat,  but  ye  have  not 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.    1-8.  377 

enough ;  ye  drink,  but  ye  are  not  filled  with  drink ;  ye  clothe  you, 
but  there  is  none  M^arm ;  and  he  that  earneth  wages,  earneth  wages 
to  put  it  into  a  bag  with  holes.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
Consider  your  ways.  Go  up  to  the  mountain,  and  bring  wood, 
and  build  the  house;  and  I  will  take  pleasure  in  it,  and  I  will  be 
glorified,  saith  the  Lord.  Ye  looked  for  much,  and,  lo,  it  came  to 
little;  and  when  ye  brought  it  home,  I  did  blow  upon  it.  Why? 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Because  of  mine  house  that  is  waste,  and 
ye  run  every  man  unto  his  own  house.  Therefore  the  heaven  over 
you  is  stayed  from  dew,  and  the  earth  is  stayed  from  her  fruit. 
And  I  called  for  a  drought  upon  the  laud,  and  upon  the  mount- 
ains, and  upon  the  corn,  and  upon  the  new  wine,  and  upon  the 
oil,  and  upon  that  which  the  ground  bringeth  forth,  and  upon 
men,  and  upon  cattle,  and  upon  all  the  labor  of  the  hands."  Hag. 
i.  4—11.  Mark  also  the  promise  of  blessing  attending  their  com- 
pliance with  the  expostulation,  and  derive  from  it  the  encourage- 
ment it  is  fitted  to  give: — "And  now,  I  pray  you,  consider  from 
this  day  and  upward,  from  before  a  stone  was  laid  upon  a  stone 
in  the  temple  of  the  Lord:  since  those  days  were,  when  one  came 
to  a  heap  of  twenty  measures,  there  were  but  ten :  when  one  came 
to  the  press-fat,  for  to  draw  out  fifty  vessels  out  of  the  press,  there 
were  but  twenty.  I  smote  you  with  blasting,  and  with  mildew, 
and  with  hail,  in  all  the  labors  of  your  hands ;  yet  ye  turned  not 
to  me,  saith  the  Lord.  Consider  now  from  this  day  and  upward, 
from  the  four-and-twentieth  day  of  the  ninth  month,  even  from 
the  day  that  the  foundation  of  the  Lord's  temple  was  laid,  consider 
it.  Is  the  seed  yet  in  the  barn?  yea,  as  yet  the  vine,  and  the 
fig-tree,  and  the  pomegranate,  and  the  olive-tree,  have  not  brought 
forth:  FROM  this  day  will  i  bless  you."  Hag.  ii.  15-19. 


LECTURE  XXII. 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.    9,  10.      XII    1-7. 

"Kejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youthi;  and  let  tliy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the 
clays  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in  the  ways  of  thine  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of 
thine  eyes:  but  know  thou,  that  for  all  these  (things)  God  will  bring  thee 
into  judgment.  10.  Therefore  remove  sorrow  from  thy  heart,  and  put 
away  evil  from  thy  flesh:  for  childhood  and  youth  (are)  vanity." 

"Eemember  now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  while  the  evil  days 
come  not,  nor  the  years  draw  nigh,  wdien  thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure 
in  them :  2.  While  the  sun,  or  the  light,  or  the  moon,  or  the  stars,  be  not 
darkened,  nor  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain :  3.  In  the  day  when  the 
keepers  of  the  house  shall  tremble,  and  the  strong  men  shall  bow  them- 
selves, and  the  grinders  cease  because  they  are  few,  and  those  that  look  out 
of  the  windows  be  darkened:  4.  And  the  doors  shall  be  shut  in  the  streets, 
when  the  sound  of  the  grinding  is  low,  and  he  shall  rise  up  at  the  voice  of 
the  bird,  and  all  the  daughters  of  music  shall  be  brought  low :  5.  Also 
(when)  they  shall  be  afraid  of  (that  which  is)  high,  and  fears  shall  be  in 
the  way,  and  the  almond  tree  shall  flourish,  and  the  grasshopper  shall  be 
a  burden,  and  desire  shall  fail :  because  man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and 
the  mourners  go  about  the  streets :  6.  Or  ever  the  silver  cord  be  loosed, 
or  the  golden  bowl  be  broken,  or  the  pitcher  be  broken  at  the  fountain,  or 
the  wheel  broken  at  the  cistern.  7.  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth 
as  it  was:  and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who  gave  it." 

Or  all  the  seasons  of  life,  youth  is  the  one  iil  which  we  are  least 
disposed  to  anticipate  "days  of  darkness."  The  spirits  are  then 
light  and  buoyant,  and  the  heart  dances  to  the  notes  of  pleasure. 
The  blood  is  warm ;  the  passions  are  ardent ;  the  inward  plead- 
ings for  their  indulgence  are  powerful;  restraint  is  felt  to  be  irk- 
some, and  is  esteemed  unreasonable ;  the  counsels  of  age  are  apt 
to  be  disregarded,  as  coming  from  those  who  have  themselves  en- 
joyed their  youth,  and  who,  being  now  incapable  of  its  pleasures, 
Avould  ungenerously  deny  them  to  others.  These  counsels  may 
be  the  results  even  of  dear-bought  experience,  and  the  dictate  of 
the  sincerest  affection.     But  youth  is  incredulous  of  evil;  never 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.    9,  10.     XII.  1-7.  379 

disposed  to  take  it  upon  trust  from  others  that  "all  is  vanity," 
but  determined  to  make  the  trial  for  itself.  Feeling  that  there 
are  pleasures  in  sin,  it  flatters  itself  with  the  persuasion,  that  the 
young  at  least  may  be  allowed  a  little  license.  Impelled  by  in- 
ward propensities,  and  solicited  by  outward  temptations,  it  pur- 
sues its  course  of  indulgence.  What  the  Bible  condemns  as  danger- 
ous and  ruinous  sins,  it  learns  to  call  by  the  palliative  names  of 
juvenile  levities,  irregularities,  indiscretions;  and  laughs  away  re- 
flection, as  the  business  of  maturer  age. 

Well  aware  of  the  character  and  natural  proijensitics  of  youth, 
Solomon,  turning  himself  to  the  young,  as  he  was  naturally  led 
to  do  by  the  tenor  of  the  preceding  verse,  frames  his  address  ac- 
cordingly : — 

Verse  9.  Rejoice,  0  young  man,  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy  heart 
cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  icalh  in  the  ways  of  thy  heart, 
and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes:  hut  know  thou,  that  for  all  these  things 
God  will  bring  thee  into  judgment. 

This,  as  I  hinted  in  a  former  lecture,  is  most  naturally  inter- 
preted as  the  language  of  serious  and  awakening  irony.  Some  of 
the  terms  are  such  as  will  not  bear  to  be  explained  of  that  inno- 
cent cheerfulness,  and  chastened  indulgence,  which  alone  could 
be  directly  recommended  either  to  childhood,  or  youth,  or  man- 
hood.— "Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy  heart 
cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth."  Take  thy  pleasure.  Pur- 
sue whatever  course  inclination  suggests  to  thee.  Trouble  not 
thyself  with  reflections  or  with  anticipations;  but  yield  to  present 
impulses,  and  spend  a  merry  life.  Give  thyself  no  concern  about 
what  may  please  God.  Please  thyself  "  Withhold  not  thy  heart 
from  any  joy."     Follow  the  tide  of  thy  passions.     And  if 

" thy  pulse's  madd'ning  play 

Will  send  thee  pleasure's  devious  ways," 
do  not  check  it;  mind  not  moderating  and   reducing  it;  let  it 
bound  in  thy  veins;   and  give  thy  youthful  desires  their  full 
measure  of  gratification. 

That  Solomon  means  more  than  mere  merriment,  mere  cheer- 
ful, unsolicitous,  light-hearted  jollity, — that  he  means  i\\e.  jplea^ures 
of  sin, — is  evident  from  the  phrases  which  follow: — "and  walk  in 
the  ways  of  thy  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes."  The  ivays 
of  a  man^s  heart,  in  Scripture  language,  do  not  mean  the  ways  of 
the  renewed  heart;  but  the  ways  to  which  he  is  led  by  the  dis- 


380  LECTURE    XXII. 

positions  and  tendencies  of  the  heart  in  its  natural  state,  unre- 
generated  by  the  grace  of  God: — "For  the  iniquity  of  his  cove- 
tousness,"  says  God  concerning  rebellious  Israel,  "I  was  wroth 
and  smote  him :  I  hid  me  and  was  wroth ;  and  he  went  on  frowardly 
in  the  way  of  his  heart."  To  "walk  in  the  sight  of  the  eyes,"  is 
to  jjursue  whatever  the  eyes  look  upon  as  desirable.  We  naturally 
fix  our  eyes  on  that  which  we  value  and  wish  for,  and  avert  them 
from  that  which  we  dislike.  The  eyes  thus  become  the  index  of 
the  affections.  Ezekiel's  wife  is  denominated  "the  desire  of  his 
eyes."  Seeking  with  eagerness  the  precarious  treasures  of  the 
world,  is  "setting  the  eyes  upon  that  which  is  not."  The  "lust 
of  the  eye,"  is  associated  with  the  "  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride 
of  life."  And  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  book,  Solomon  ex- 
presses the  unrestrained  gratification  which  he  gave  to  all  his  pro- 
pensities in  these  words,  "whatsoever  mine  eyes  desired  I  kej)t  not 
from  them ;  I  withheld  not  mine  heart  from  any  joy."  It  is  one 
of  the  prayers  of  his  pious  father,  "Turn  away  mine  eyes  from  be- 
holding vanity."  The  ways  of  the  heart,  and  the  sight  of  the  eyes, 
are  sometimes  united,  to  signify  the  practical  indulgence  of  evil 
tendencies.  In  delivering  the  Divine  injunction  to  the  Israelites 
respecting  the  fringes  of  their  garments,  Moses  says  to  them : — 
"And  it  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  fringe,  that  ye  may  look  upon  it, 
and  remember  all  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and  do  them; 
and  that  ye  seek  not  after  your  oion  heart,  and  your  own  eyes,  after 
which  ye  use  to  go  a  whoring."  Numb.  xv.  39.  Enjoy  thyself, 
then,  says  Solomon.  Let  thy  heart  follow  thine  eye,  and  thine 
eye  thy  heart.  Eove  at  pleasure  amidst  all  the  scenes  of  youthful 
indulgence.  While  "the  days  of  thy  youth"  continue,  give  the 
reins  to  thy  lusts,  and  satiate  thyself  with  whatever  thy  heart 
fancies. 

This  is  counsel,  which  the  young  would  like  very  well  to  un- 
derstand as  given  them  in  good  earnest.  But  so  given,  it  would 
be  counsel  very  inconsistent  with  the  whole  tenor  and  design  of 
this  book.  Solomon  takes  a  higher  aim.  His  object  is,  to  entice 
the  young  to  purer,  and  nobler,  and  more  lasting  joys;  and  he 
immediately  checks  the  indulgences  of  time,  by  pointing  to  eternity. 
He  draws  i'n  the  rein,  which  he  seemed  to  throw  loose.  He  damps 
the  fire  which  he  appeared  to  kindle.  He  exhibits  a  youth,  giving 
himself  up  to  all  the  gaieties,  and  all  the  licentious  pleasures  of 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.   9,  10.     XII.    1-7.  381 

the  world,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  scene  of  mirth  and  revehy,  he 
suddenly  startles  his  ear,  and  thrills  his  heart  with  the  summons 
to  the  tribunal  of  God:— "Rejoice,  O  young  man,  in  thy  youth, 
and  let  thy  heart  cheer  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk 
in  the  ways  of  thy  heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  thine  eyes:  BUT  know 
THOU  that  for  all  these  things  God  will  bring  thee  into  judgment." 
This  is  very  solemn. — Go  on,  young  man.  Pursue  thy  career 
of  pleasure.  Give  thy  heart  all  its  desires.  But — count  the  cost. 
Anticipate  what  is  before  thee.  Remember,  thou  hast  an  account 
to  give.  Think  of  the  awful  realities  of  a  coming  judgment: — 
and  then, — with  these  before  thine  eye,— follow  thy  present  course, 
if  thou  canst.  Thou  mayest  have  many  companions  in  thy  career 
of  thoughtlessness  and  sensuality.  But  O  forget  not,  "God  will 
bring  thee  into  judgment."  Think  of  thyself.  Thine  own  per- 
sonal concern  in  the  transactions  of  that  day  will  be  as  sure,  as  if 
thou  wert  to  be  the  sole  culprit, — the  only  prisoner  at  the  bar, — 
as  if  all  creatures  were  swept  from  existence  but  thyself.  "  Knoio 
thou"  this.  Be  assured  of  it.  "God  has  appointed  a  day  in 
which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness."  Let  conscience 
speak  freely,  and  it  will  ratify  the  assurances  of  his  Word.  Laugh 
not  at  the  warning.  I  know  that  young  men  are  disposed  to  treat 
every  thought  of  such  a  subject  as  a  gloomy  intruder  on  their 
pleasures ; — I  know  that  the  problem  of  happiness  is,  how  such 
thoughts  may -be  most  effectually  and  constantly  excluded  from 
the  mind ;— and  I  know  that  the  man  who  ventures  to  suggest 
them,  exposes  himself  to  be  proscribed  as  rude,  and  stigmatized 
as  fanatical.  But  O  beware!  Listen  to  friendly  admonition. 
What  you  are  tempted  to  laugh  at  now,  you  will  find  a  dread 
reality  in  the  end. 

This  is  not  the  language  of  sarcastic  contempt,  and  heartless 
indiiference,  feeling  no  concern  whether  it  is  complied  with  or 
not.  It  is  not  the  language  of  a  sated  sensualist,  grudging  you 
your  youthful  pleasures,  because  he  can  now  no  longer  partake  of 
them  himself.  It  is  not  the  language  of  a  haughty  disdainful 
Pharisee,  who  says  in  his  heart,—"  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am 
not  as  other  men  are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as 
this  youthful  libertine."  It  is  not  the  language  of  a  sour,  morose 
religionist,  who  woul'd  deprive  you  of  all  enjoyment,  and  condemn 
you  to  perpetual  austerity  and  gloom.     No,  my  young  friends.    It 


382  LECTURE   XXII. 

is  the  voice  of  sincere  aifection.  It  is  language  dictated  by  the 
ex23erience  of  one,  who  tried  the  course  you  are  running,  or  re- 
solving to  run.  He  knows  it  all.  His  heart  dissolves  in  tender- 
ness over  the  youth  whom  he  sees  "  regarding  lying  vanities,  and 
forsaking  his  own  mercy."  The  tear  trembles  in  his  eye  while 
he  addresses  you.  He  beholds  you  spreading  all  your  sails,  and 
about  to  launch  forth,  insensible  of  your  danger,  on  a  sea  that  is 
full  of  perils;  a  sea,  by  whose  enticements  to  adventure  he  had 
himself  been  tempted  out,  of  which  the  hidden  dangers  are  most 
imminent  where  its  beauties  are  most  alluring ;  whose  fairest  spots 
are  surrounded  with  the  most  numerous  wrecks,  where  his  vessel 
had  a  thousand  times  been  in  jeopardy,  and  from  which  he  had,  as 
by  a  miracle  of  mercy,  got  back  into  port,  in  thankful  amazement 
at  his  own  safety.  He  would  persuade  you  against  running  the 
same  fearful  risk, — against  trying  a  course  from  which  so  few 
have  returned. 

To  show  that  his  end  was  far  from  being  to  make  them  misera- 
ble before  the  time, — to  deprive  them  of  their  enjoyments  and 
substitute  nothing  in  their  room, — to  agitate  their  bosoms  with 
unavailing  alarms, — he  adds  in 

Verse  10.  Therefore,  txmove  sorrow  from  thy  heart,  and  put  away 
evil  from  thy  flesh:  for  childhood  and  youth  are  vanity. 

This  language  is  not  of  the  same  description  with  that  in  the 
preceding  verse,  "Eejoice  in  thy  youth,  and  let  thy  heart  cheer 
thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth."  There  is  nothing  in  it  of  irony. 
The  sorrow  and  the  evil  to  be  put  away,  are  those  to  which  the 
course  described  in  the  preceding  verse  naturally  conducts  the 
youth  who  pursues  it.  They  are,  he  may  be  assured,  its  unfailing 
attendants  and  consequences.  The  adnfonition,  therefore,  is  one 
of  benevolent  compassion ;  to  avoid  suffering  both  in  body  and  in 
soul,  both  in  time  and  in  eternity.  The  course  from  which  Solo- 
mon dissuades  was  fitted,  even  in  this  world,  to  occasion  affliction 
and  mourning  to  the  heart,  and  disease  to  the  bodily  frame.  It 
is  in  warning  against  a  life  of  dissolute  pleasure,  that  Solomon 
elsewhere  urges  these  motives  on  the  attention  of  youth : — "  lest 
thou  give  thine  honor  unto  others,  and  thy  years  unto  the  cruel; 
lest  strangers  be  filled  with  thy  wealth,  and  thy  labors  be  in  the 
house  of  a  stranger;  and  thou  mourn  at  the  last,  Mdien  thy  flesh 
and  thy  body  are  consumed,  and  say ;  How  have  I  hated  instruc- 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.   9,  10.     XII.  1-7.  383 

tion,  and  my  heart  despised  reproof,  and  have  not  obeyed  the 
voice  of  my  teachers,  nor  inclined  mine  ear  to  them  that  instructed 
me!"  Prov.  v.  9-13, — and  such  a  course  not  only  leads  to  bodily 
suifering  and  anguish  of  spirit  in  this  world,  but  will  infallibly 
''destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell." 

He  then  adduces  a  motive  to  compliance  with  his  admonition, 
and  afterwards  prescribes  the  meam  of  its  fulfilment. — The  motive 
is,  the  constant  precariousness  of  life  at  every  period  of  it,  even  in 
the  season  of  its  greatest  vigor,  and  under  its  fairest  and  most 
flattening  appearances : — "childhood  and  youth  are  vanity."  The 
young  are  naturally  disposed  to  promise  themselves  long  life, — 
to  count  upon  many  days.  Age,  they  know,  must  be  near  the 
grave;  but  they  have  abundance  of  time  before  them, — plenty  of 
leisure  to  think  about  the  life  to  come,  before  the  present  life  shall 
come  to  a  close.  But,  alas!  vanity  is  inscribed  on  all  the  stages 
of  our  mortal  course;  and  dependence  on  its  prolongation  is,  at 
every  period  of  it,  foolish  and  illusory.  Childhood  and  youth 
are  subject  to  vicissitude  and  death,  as  well  as  manhood  and  age. 
The  young  man  who  is  bent  on  worldly  pleasure  is  therefore 
seriously  reminded  that  he  "knows  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth :"  that  in  reckoning  on  continued  life,  he  is  building  in  the 
air;  that  death  may  arrest  him  in  his  career,  when  he  least  ex- 
pects interruption ;  and  that  in  the  state  in  which  death  finds  him 
he  must  give '  in  his  account,  when  "  God  shall  bring  him  into 
judgment." 

The  means  of  fulfilling  the  counsel,  to  "remove  sorrow  from 
the  heart,  and  put  away  evil  from  the  flesh,"  are  then  prescribed : — 

Chapter  xii.  verse  1.  Remember  noiv  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of 
thy  youth,  ivhile  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years  draio  nigh,  when 
thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them. 

It  is  the  tendency  of  our  fallen  nature  to  forget  God ;  and  this 
tendency  is  peculiarly  strong  in  youth,  amidst  the  gaieties  and 
allurements  of  a  fascinating  and  seductive  world.  Forgetfulness 
of  God  is  sometimes  put  for  the  whole  of  irreligion;  and  on  the 
same  principle,  the  remeynbrance  of  God  may  comprehend  all  the 
principles  and  affections  of  practical  godliness.  So  the  phrase  is 
used  here.     It  is  an  admonition  to  early  piety. 

"Remember  thy  Creator." — Remember  him,  as  the  great  Au- 
thor of  your  being;  and  spend  not  the  existence  which  He  has 


384  LECTUEE  XXII. 

given  and  which  he  every  moment  sustains,  in  forgetfulness  of 
him  and  rebellion  against  him.  Remember  your  unceasing  de- 
pendence upon  him  for  "life,  and  breath,  and  all  things,"  and 
cherish  the  humility  that  becomes  dependent  creatures.  Eemem- 
ber  him,  as  your  all-bountiful  Benefactor,  both  in  providence  and 
in  redemption;  the  Father  of  mercies,  the  God  of  salvation. 
Remember  him  in  all  the  characters  in  which  he  has  been  pleased 
to  make  himself  known  to  his  creatures,  especially  that  in  which 
it  is  the  principal  design  of  the  Bible  to  reveal  him,  as  "  by  Jesus 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself;"  just  in  justifying  the 
ungodly ;  displaying,  in  the  redemption  of  sinners  by  the  work  of 
his  Son,  his  infinite  wisdom,  his  spotless  purity,  his  inviolable 
righteousness,  and  his  unbounded  mercy,  in  that  inseparable  har- 
mony in  which,  by  the  necessity  of  his  nature,  they  exist  in  his 
perfect  character.  This  view  of  God  has  been  given  to  men  from 
the  beginning  with  various  degrees  of  progressive  light,  salvation 
having,  since  the  entrance  of  sin,  from  the  first  promise  down- 
wards, been  the  leading  subject  and  end  of  Divine  revelation. 
Remember  Him,  with  the  dispositions,  the  worshij),  the  obedience, 
the  service,  that  are  due  to  him.  It  is  affectionate,  reverential, 
practical  remembrance  of  him  that  is  here  recommended.  Think 
how  awful  it  is,  that  God  should  be  so  generally  forgotten  by  his 
intelligent  offspring :  that  He  should  have  so  few  of  their  thoughts; 
so  little  of  their  regards !  Dare  ye  to  be  singular,  by  devoting 
yourselves  to  God  in  a  world  where  he  is  so  grievously  dishonored; 
where  there  are  so  few  hearts  that  give  him  a  welcome  residence. 
Choose  ye  his  love  as  your  portion,  his  service  as  your  employ- 
ment, his  glory  as  your  end. 

And  "Remember  noiv  thy  Creator,  in  the  days  of  thy  youth.'' — 
In  the  first  place,  heesMse  "  childhood  and  youth  are  vanity;" — be- 
cause life  is  from  the  first  uncertain ;  because  "  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
is  the  beginning  of  wisdom ;"  and  if  you  delay,  your  life  may  close 
before  you  have  begun  to  be  wise.  The  youngest  amongst  you, 
and  the  healthiest  and  most  vigorous,  is  not  sure  of  a  day.  If  you 
do  not  wish,  therefore,  to  die  in  forgetfulness  of  God,  your  safest 
way  is  to  remember  him  now. — Secondly,  because  he  is  supremely 
entitled  to  the  choicest  and  best,  nay  to  the  whole,  of  your  days. 
He  has  a  paramount  claim  upon  all  your  time.  Every  day  of 
your  life  is  misspent,  that  is  spent  without  God.     Think  not  only 


ECCLEsrASTES  XI.  9,  10.   xli.  1-7.  385 

of  the  folly,  but  of  the  impiety,  of  delay.  You  do  not  intend, 
perhaps,  to  spend  all  your  days  without  religion.  You  will  begin 
to  think  seriously  by  and  by.  But  is  not  this  to  postpone  the  will 
of  God  to  your  own?  to  resolve  that  you  will  take  your  own 
pleasure  now,  and,  when  you  have  sated  yourselves,  will  then  give 
some  thought  to  pleasing  God?  Is  it  not  to  say,  you  will  devote 
to  yourselves  and  to  your  lusts  the  prime  and  vigor  of  your  days, 
and  then  give  to  that  God  who  made  you  for  his  glory,  and  to 
whom  you  owe  your  all,  the  dregs  and  refuse  of  your  time  ?  AVhat 
think  you  of  this  preference  of  self  to  God?  Is  it  not  deeply 
impious?  O  be  not,  then,  guilty  of  it.  "Remember  now  thy 
Creator,  in  the  days  of  thy  youth." — Thirdly.  Your  own  happiness 
is  concerned  in  your  compliance  with  this  counsel.  That  happiness 
is  unworthy  of  the  name,  which  is  disturbed  by  the  remembrance 
of  God.  The  contemplation,  and  enjoyment,  and  service  of  the 
Divine  Being,  must  be  the  honor  and  the  blessedness  of  every 
rational  nature.  There  is  a  propriety,  a  beauty,  and  a  glory,  in 
early  piety.  It  shall  be  "an  ornament  of  grace  unto  thy  head, 
and  chains  about  thy  neck."  And,  whilst  it  confers  honor,  it 
imparts  happiness.  The  ways  of  wisdom  are  "ways  of  pleasant- 
ness, and  all  her  paths  are  peace.  She  is  a  tree  of  life  to  them 
that  lay  hold  upon  her;  and  happy  is  every  one  that  retaineth 
her."  The  earlier,  therefore,  you  enter  on  these  ways,  you  will 
have,  according'to  the  time  that  God  may  spare  you,  the  longer 
period  of  true  enjoyment; — of  enjoyment,  uninterrupted  by  the 
whispers  of  an  uneasy  conscience,  and  the  scaring  apprehensions 
of  a  coming  judgment;  of  enjoyment,  excellent  and  worthy  in 
itself,  and  leaving  no  stings  behind. 

And,  as  early  religion  is  the  way  to  happiness  in  youth,  it  is 
also  the  eiFectual  means  of  laying  it  up  for  trouble  and  for  age: — 
"while  the  evil  days  come  not,  nor  the  years  draw  nigh,  when 
thou  shalt  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them." 

"The  evil  days"  are  the  same  with  the  "days  of  darkness"  in 
the  eighth  verse  of  the  preceding  chapter.  They  are  days  of 
trouble ;  days  of  gloom  and  sorrow,  arising  from  one  or  other,  or, 
it  may  be,  from  a  combination,  of  the  numberless  "ills  that  flesh 
is  heir  to."  The  arrival  of  such  days,  sooner  or  later,  may  be 
expected  by  all.  The  Divine  allotments,  indeed,  of  temporal 
enjoyment  and  suffering  are  exceedingly  diversified,  and  the  prin- 
25 


386  LECITTEE    XXII. 

ciple  by.  which  these  degrees  are  measured  is  amongst  the  secrets 
of  Deity;  giving  rise,  in  its  sovereign  application,  to  many  a 
wondering  question  which  we  in  vain  attempt  to  answer.  But 
every  man  may  look  for  his  share  of  trial.  How  few  are  the  lives 
that  are  spent  without  days  of  darkness !  And  for  such  days,  a 
course  of  mirthful  and  dissolute  forgetfulness  of  God  is  surely  a 
miserable  preparation.  Whatever  may  be  the  thoughts  of  men 
or  whatever  their  thoughtlessness  in  the  time  of  comfort,  and 
health,  and  prosperity,  the  need  of  religion  is  universally  felt  in 
the  season  of  disease,  and  bereavement,  and  woe.  And,  oh !  it  is 
a  sad  thing,  when  "  the  evil  days  come,"  and  come  suddenly,  and 
our  sources  of  consolation  are  yet  to  seek : — to  seek,  when  perhaps 
we  are  almost,  if  not  utterly,  incapacitated  for  thinking,  by  the 
nature  of  our  bodily  distemper,  or  by  the  stunning,  and  stupifying, 
and  distracting  influence  of  unanticipated  distress.  And  would 
it  not  be  righteous  in  an  insulted  and  oifended  Deity,  to  deny  his 
comforts  in  the  season  of  need  to  those  who  had  slighted  and  re- 
fused him  in  the  hours  of  their  own  preferred  enjoyment?  who, 
when  all  was  going  well  with  them,  "  walked  in  the  ways  of  their 
heart,  and  in  the  sight  of  their  eyes,"  and  presumptuously  thought 
they  could  do  without  Him;  and  who,  instead  of  being  drawn  to 
him  by  the  choice  of  love,  are  driven  to  him  by  the  mere  force  of 
calamity?  AYould  there  not  be  justice  in  his  turning  away  his 
ear  from  their  cry,  and  saying,  "Because  I  called,  and  ye  refused; 
I  stretched  out  my  hands,  and  no  man  regarded :  but  ye  set  at 
nought  all  my  counsel,  and  would  none  of  my  reproof;  I  also  will 
laugh  at  your  calamity,  I  w^ill  mock  when  your  fear  cometh?" 

If  you  survive  the  "days  of  evil," — if  you  are  not  cut  off  in 
youth  or  in  manhood, — old  age  must  come  upon  you;  "the years 
must  draw  nigh  when  you  shall  say,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  them:" — 
that  is,  no  pleasure  from  the  sources  which  yielded  it  before, — no 
pleasure  of  the  kind  to  which  you  gave  up  your  earlier  days. 
Those  things  which  gratified  your  youth,  and  kept  it  in  thought- 
less merriment,  will  then  lose  their  relish,  and  cease  to  be  enjoyed; 
and  if  you  have  not  previously  "remembered  your  Creator,"  and 
provided  other  and  more  enduring  pleasures,  alas !  how  cheerless 
will  be  the  years  of  your  declining  life !  Before  these  years  draw 
nigh,  then,  lay  up  for  them  suitable  enjoyment.  The  only  satis- 
fying pleasures — the  only  pleasures  which  will  then  remain — will 


EOCLESIASTES  XI.    9,  10.    XII.    1-7.  387 

be  those  of  true  religion.  When  every  other  spring  lias  run  dry, 
or  its  streams  have  become  vapid  or  nauseous,  the  "wells  of  salva- 
tion "  will  continue  in  all  their  fulness,  and  freshness,  and  sweet- 
ness. The  blessed  truths  of  God  will  yield  to  the  soul  consolatioa 
and  peace,  and  tranquil  gladness,  and  animating  hope.  Instead 
of  bitter  and  unavailing  regrets  for  pleasures  that  are  past  and 
can  never  return,  you  will  experience,  amidst  the  felt  exhaustion 
of  nature;  amidst  the  "labor  and  sorrow"  of  fourscore  years;  a 
"joy  with  which  a  stranger  cannot  intermeddle."  Leaning  on 
the  arm  of  Divine  love  and  power,  you  will  pass  without  fear 
through  the  "valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,"  and  be  "gathered 
to  the  grave,  as  a  shock  of  corn,  fully  ripe,  is  brought  in  in  his 
season." 

The  same  idea  of  the  cheerless  condition  of  age  without  provision 
made  for  its  happiness  by  timely  piety;  or  rather,  the  view  of 
those  circumstances  in  age  that  render  the  supports  and  consola- 
tions of  religion  peculiarly  necessary ;  is  expanded  in 

Verse  2.  While  the  sun,  or  the  light,  or  the  moon,  or  the  stars^  be 
not  darkened;  nor  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain. 

The  darkening  of  the  sun  and  the  cheering  light  of  day,  and 
of  the  moon  and  stars  that  illuminate  and  enliven  the  night,  may 
be  explained  either  literally  of  the  dimness  of  vision  that  is  inci- 
dent to  old  age,  or  in  one  or  other  of  two  figurative  senses :  of  the 
cessation  of  the  sprightly  enjoyment  of  the  lights  of  heaven,  in 
those  years  of  which  the  old  man  says,  "I  have  no  pleasure  in 
them;"  or  of  the  gloom  of  affliction,  the  darkness  of  those  troubles 
to  which  age  is  liable,  which  occasion  dull  days  and  wearisome 
nights,  sun  and  moon  being  alike  shrouded  in  obscuring  clouds. 
The  first  of  these  views  identifies  the  expression  in  meaning  with, 
another  in  the  subsequent  description  of  old  age, — "  and  those  that 
look  out  of  the  windows  be  darkened."  The  second  and  third 
are  so  close  connected,  that  they  may  be  considered  as  one, — the 
infirmities,  and  uneasiness,  and  troubles  of  age  being  the  principal 
cause  of  light  itself  ceasing  to  charm,  and  losing  its  quickening 
and  spirit-stirring  influence.  The  expression  thus  stands  in 
contrast  with  that  in  the  seventh  verse  of  the  preceding  chapter, 
"Truly  the  light  is  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  for  the  eyes- 
to  behold  the  sun." 

"The  clouds  returning  after  the  rain"  is  a  beautiful  figure. 


388  LECTURE    XXII. 

for  a  succession  of  troubles.  Between  those  clouds  that  darken 
the  sky  of  age  there  is  but  little  interval.  They  may  rack  and 
disperse  for  a  short  while,  and  the  spirits  be  eased  and  lightened ; 
but  instead  of  the  continuance  of  the  "clear  shining  after  rain," 
the  clouds  return,  and  the  sky  is  overcast  anew.  Not  only  do  the 
distresses  of  advanced  life  multiply  from  the  enlarging  circle  of 
family  connections  and  of  "  children's  children,"  in  all  whose  trials 
the  old  father's  heart  is  interested ;  but  the  exhaustion  of  the 
bodily  energies,  and  the  general  sinking  of  nature,  afford  little 
respite  from  varied,  and  sometimes  indescribable,  feelings  of  un- 
easiness and  distress.  The  varieties  in  the  condition  of  old  men 
are,  it  is  true,  very  considerable ;  and  to  some  the  description  be- 
fore us  is  much  less  applicable  than  to  others.  We  meet  at  times 
with  cases,  in  Avhich,  even  to  fourscore  years  and  ten,  the  sky  con- 
tinues unusually  serene,  the  "cloudy  and  dark  days"  being  rather 
the  exception  to  those  of  sunshine  and  cheerfulness.  But  Solo- 
mon's representation  is  not  that  of  extraordinary  instances,  but  of 
what  may  in  general  be  expected. 

The  principle  by  which  we  should  be  guided  in  our  interpre- 
tations of  Scrij)ture  ought  to  be,  neither  predilection  for  what  is 
old,  nor  fondness  for  what  is  new,  nor  the  vanity  of  being  original, 
but  a  simple  regard  to  truth  and  probability.  On  this  principle, 
after  considering  such  explanations  as  have  come  in  my  way  of  the 
following  verses,  with  their  respective  critical  defenses,  I  am  satis- 
fied that  the  one  which  has  been  all  along  the  most  common  is  the 
most  natural ;  and  I  shall  therefore,  without  entering  at  all  into 
controversy,  which  would  be  out  of  place,  and  foreign  to  my  pur- 
pose in  these  lectures,  adopt  it  in  the  comments  I  am  now  to  oifer 
you. 

Verses  3-5.  In  the  day  when  the  keepers  of  the  house  shall  trem- 
ble, and  the  strong  men  shall  bow  themselves,  and  the  grinders  cease 
because  they  are  few,  and  those  that  look  out  of  the  ivindows  be  darken- 
ed; and  the  doors  shall  be  shut  in  the  streets,  ichen  the  sound  of  the 
grinding  is  low ;  and  he  shall  rise  up  at  the  voice  of  the  bird;  and 
all  the  daughters  of  music  shall  be  brought  low:  also  when  they  shall 
be  afraid  of  that  which  is  high,  and  fears  shall  be  in  the  way,  and 
the  almond-tree  shall  flourish,  and  the  grasshopper  shall  be  a  burden, 
and  desire  shall  fail:  because  man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and  the 
mourners  go  about  the  streets. 


ECCLESIASTES   XI,    9,  10.     XII.    1-7.  38^ 

"The  keepers  of  the  house  shall  tremble." — The  hands  and 
arms,  the  instruments  of  averting  threatened  evil,  the  guards  and 
defenders  of  "the  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle,"  become  feeble 
and  palsied,  constantly  tremulous,  or  shaking  with  the  slightest 
attempt  at  effort,  and  incapable  of  yielding  it  any,  even  the  smallest, 
protection  from  assault  and  injury.  Old  age  is  the  time  of  the 
felt  cessation  of  power.  "  Cast  me  not  off  in  the  time  of  old  age : 
forsake  me  not,  when  my  strength  faileth." 

"And  the  strong  men  bow  themselves." — The  limbs,  however 
robust  they  were  formerly,  bend  under  the  weight  of  the  body, 
tottering  with  extreme  frailty,  and  unable  to  give  it  effectual  sup- 
port. The  strong  men  can  no  longer  carry  their  burden  from 
place  to  place :  they  let  it  fall  in  the  attempt  even  to  raise  it. 

"And  the  grinders  cease,  because  they  are  few." — The  teeth, 
which  perform  the  same  office  to  the  food  as  the  millstone  to  the 
corn,  comminuting  and  grinding  it,  and  preparing  it  for  the  or- 
gans of  digestion,  loosen  and  fall  out;  and  the  few  that  remain 
become  incompetent  to  the  purpose  they  were  wont  to  serve,  so 
that  the  same  kinds  of  food  cannot  now  be  taken  as  before,  and 
the  mastication  of  those  which  are  taken  is  effected  witli  much 
slowness  and  difficulty. 

"And  those  that  look  out  of  the  Avindows  be  darkened." — Another 
striking  and  affecting  symptom  of  age, — the  decay,  and  sometimes 
the  total  loss,  of  sight;  exemplified  in  Isaac,  in  Jacob,  in  Eli,  and 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree  experienced  by  the  old  in  general.  The 
eyes,  which  from  their  bony  sockets,  as  from  the  windows  of  the 
"earthly  house,"  look  out  upon  surrounding  objects,  examining 
the  near,  surveying  the  distant,  receiving  notices  from  without, 
imparting  intelligence  and  intimating  emotions  from  within, 
watching  against  evil  and  directing  to  good,  become  suffused  and 
dim,  and  fail  in  the  fulfilment  of  their  important  functions.  All 
is  obscurity  and  confusion.  The  brilliance  of  the  light  itself  may 
be  darkly  seen;  but  the  reflection  of  it  from  the  objects  on  which 
it  falls  is  too  faint  to  be  perceptible.  Children  and  friends  ap- 
proach, but  the  eyes,  which  wont  to  glance  with  pleasure,  turn  not 
towards  them ;  they  must  speak  ere  they  can  be  distinguished. 
Dangers  are  at  hand ;  but  the  sentinels  of  the  house  give  no  alarm. 
Other  eyes  than  his  own  must  guide,  and  inform,  and  warn  the 


390  LECTURE    XXII. 

sightless  old  man.     And  he  is  bereft,  too,  of  one  of  the  richest 
sources  of  enjoyment, — 

" from  the  cheerful  ways  of  men 

Cut  off,  and,  for  the  book  of  knowledge  fair, 
Presented  with  a  universal  blank, 
Of  Nature's  works,  to  him  expung'd  and  raz'd, 
And  wisdom  at  one  entrance  quite  shut  out." 

"  And  the  doors  shall  be  shut  in  the  streets,  when  the  sound  of 
the  grinding  is  low." — There  is  evidently,  in  this  particular,  an 
allusion  to  the  noise  of  the  hand-mill  in  grinding  the  corn  for  the 
day ;  to  the.  opening  of  the  doors  in  the  morning  for  this  cheerful 
work ;  and  to^  the  lively  sound  of  its  accompanying  songs.  But 
if  by  the  grinders,  in  the  former  verse,  the  teeth  be  meant ;  then 
in  this  verse  the  grinding  must  signify,  under  the  allusion  men- 
tioned, the  work  which  the  teeth  perform.  The  lips  are,  in  other 
parts  of  Scripture,  by  a  very  natural  figure,  called  the  doors  of  the 
mouth.  "Set  a  watch,  O  Lord,  before  my  mouth:  keep  the  door 
of  my  lips."  Psalm  cxli.  3. — "Trust  ye  not  in  a  friend;  put  ye 
not  confidence  in  a  guide;  keep  the  doors  of  thy  mouth  from  her 
that  lieth  in  thy  bosom."  Mic.  vii.  5.  In  the  old  man,  when  "  the 
grinders  cease,"  and  the  "sound  of  the  grinding  is  low,"  the  lips 
are  compressed  with  a  singular  firmness, — the  doors  of  the  mouth 
shut,  with  a  closeness  that  gives  the  countenance  of  age  one  of  its 
most  marked  peculiarities. 

"And  he  shall  rise  up  at  the  voice  of  the  bird." — This  proba- 
bly expresses  the  general  wakefulness  of  age.  Were  the  interpre- 
tation consistent  with  the  dulness  of  ear  incident  to  this  period  of 
life,  we  might  consider  it  as  meaning  that  the  old  are  easily  dis- 
turbed— the  slightest  noise  startling  them.  It  seems  rather,  how- 
ever, simply  to  signify  their  inability  to  rest.  They  wake  early; 
€ven  as  soon  as  the  cock  crows  or  the  birds  begin  to  chirp  in  the 
morning :  whereas,  when  young  and  vigorous,  exercise  prepared 
them  for  repose,  and  they  could  sleep  sound  and  long.  "Tired 
Nature's  sweet  restorer  "  flies  from  the  eye-lids  of  age,  as  well  as 
from  those  of  woe. 

"And  all  the  daughters  of  music  shall  be  brought  low." — By 
"  the  daughters  of  music,"  I  understand  those  organs  that  are  em- 
ployed either  in  the  production,  or  in  the  enjoyment  of  it: — the 
lungs,  which  inhale  the  needful  supply  of  air;  that  exquisitely 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.    9,  10.     XII.  1-7.  391 

beautiful  mechanism  by  which  the  air,  in  its  passage  from  the 
lungs,  is  so  finely  and  delicately  modulated;  and  the  ear,  which, 
by  a  structure  not  less  admirable,  is  adapted  for  receiving  the  im- 
pressions of  sound,  and  through  which  the  sensations  of  delight 
are  conveyed  to  the  mind.  In  old  age,  the  play  of  the  lungs  is 
less  easy,  and  respiration  more  laborious;  the  voice  becomes  tremu- 
lous and  feeble ;  and  the  command  of  its  modulation  is  impaired, 
not  only  by  the  rigidity  of  its  own  organs,  but  by  the  obtuseness 
of  those  of  hearing;  by  which  last  defect,  too,  the  pleasure  of 
musical  sounds  is  diminished,  or  lost.  The  voice  is  thus  unfitted 
for  making  music,  and  the  ear  for  enjoying  it. — "I  am  this  day," 
said  Barzillai  the  Gileadite  to  king  David,  in  declining  to  accom- 
pany him  to  Jerusalem, — "I  am  this  day  fourscore  years  old:  can 
I  discern  between  good  and  evil?  can  thy  servant  taste  what  I 
eat  or  what  I  drink?  can  I  hear  any  more  the  voice  of  singing- 
men  and  singing- women?  wherefore,  then,  should  thy  servant  be 
yet  a  burden  unto  my  lord  the  king?"  2  Sam.  xix.  35. 

"They  shall  be  afraid  of  that  which  is  high." — Every  ascent  in 
the  way,  up  which,  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  they  would  have 
bounded  with  agility  and  ease,  is  now  discouraging  to  them.  They 
stop,  and  take  breath,  and  hesitate,  and,  unable  to  see  themselves, 
make  many  inquiries,  before  they  will  attempt  what,  with  a  de- 
sponding shake  of  the  head,  they  "  fear  will  be  too  much  for  them." 

"And  fears  shall  be  in  the  way." — They  are  full  of  apprehen- 
sions of  real  or  imaginary  dangers, — of  accidents  that  may  happen 
to  them, — of  obstacles  over  which  they  may  stumble, — of  being 
jostled  and  thrown  down,  or  otherwise  hurt, — of  mischiefs  that 
may  come  in  their  way,  which  they  have  not  eyes  to  see,  nor 
strength  to  ward  off,  nor  agility  to  escape. 

"And  the  almond-tree  shall  flourish."— From  the  particular 
time  of  the  almond-tree's  flourishing,  it  has  by  some  been  placed 
early  in  spring,*  whilst  others  have  assigned  it  to  winter.!  In 
the  latter  view,  it  has  been  considered  as  significant,  in  the  imagery 
of  Solomon,  of  the  closing  scene  of  life,  when 

" pale  concluding  winter  comes  at  bist, 

And  shuts  the  scene." 

But  the  existing  dubiety  about  the  season  gives  uncertainty  and 


*See  Cotton  on  the  verse:— Blayney  on  Jer.  i.  11,  12;  &c. 
t  See  Dathius  and  Van  der  Palm  on  the  vei-se. 


^^^  -LECTURE    XXII. 


indistinctness  to  this  explanation;  and  both  on  this  account,  and 
on  the  ground  of  its  own  superior  beauty  and  appropriateness,  the 
more  common  vieAv  of  the  figure  is  entitled  to  preference.  The 
almond-tree  covered  with  its  snow-white  blossoms  is  a  beautiful 
poetic  emblem  of  the  hoary  head ;  and  the  casting  of  the  blossoms 
might  farther  represent  the  shedding  of  the  silver  locks  from  the 
venerable  brows  of  age. 

"And  the  grasshopper  shall  be  a  burden."— By  those  who  ex- 
plain the  preceding  emblem  from  the  season  of  the  year,  this  also 
has  been  interpreted  as  referring  to  winter,  when  the  grasshopper 
which  in  summer  had  been  all  sprightliness  and  agility,  becomes 
languid  and  inactive,  and  "a  burden"  to  itself.  Thus  it  is,  as 
they  allege  who  adopt  this  explanation,  with  the  aged  man,  when 
he  experiences  the  feebleness  of  decrepitude,  and  is  bowed  down 
with  the  load  of  his  infirmities.*— But  may  not  the  expression  be 
intended  simply  to  convey  the  idea  of  extreme  feebleness  f  signify- 
ing, not  that  the  old  man  is,  like  the  grasshopper  at  a  particular 
season,  a  burden  to  himself,  although  that  is  true;  but  that  to  the 
relaxed  and  palsied  imbecility  of  age,  the  lightest  thing  is  a  load. 
Would  it  be  an  inappropriate  expression  for  the  feebleness  of  an 
unnerved  and  emaciated  frame,  to  say  of  a  man,  he  was  become 
so  exceedingly  weak  that  he  could  not  bear  a  fly  to  light  upon 
him?     This  I  take  to  be  the  meaning  of  the  grasshopper  being  a 

•'^''ZocMsto,_sive  cicac?a,per  a^statem  valde  agilis  ac  Iteta,  hyeme  lanjruet 
mer  ?.'Sn'  /  ""-rf  *^  Tl  ^•"•'  ^^"  ^^"^^*  «^  ^^■^«^«'  ^1"<=^  during  fum- 

^i^-t:{-^i:;l>,f:^'''''^  '"^  "^^^^^  ^''^"^^"^^^^^'  ^^^^  ^^  ^  ^-^^^  '- 

It  may  be  owing  to  an  undue  sense  of  the  ludicrous,  but  I  never  have  been 
.ible  to  view  in  any  other  light  than  as  an  ingenious  conceit,  with  too  little 
dignity  m  it  to  have  been  intended  by  SolomoS,  the  resemblance  which  some 
have  drawn  and  have  supposed  to  have  been  in  his  eye,  between  the  shape 
of  the  grasshopper  and  the  decrepit  body  of  a  very  inta  old  man— "Cum 
locusta  comparatur  senex,  propter  corpus  macilentum,  pedes  graciles  et  in- 
cessuni  incurvatum  ac  si  onere  premeretur:"  [i.e.,  The  old  man  is  compared 
Joi  .* -I  '  ""V  ''?.?"'?*  ""{  ^'^  "^^^S"^  ^«dy,  shrivelled  legs,  and  crooked 

^  W^«  o  ^PP'^t?,^  ^^\t^  ^  burden.-Ei).  -i>«^At«^.  He  transtates  the  words 
lii.  ?r.o.^'''n^'*"''  i.-\^'f ^f  •  ^"-  ^  •■  "*^^  ^^y^  «^^™"k,  shrivelled,  crump- 
ling, craggy  old  man,  his  back  bone  sticking  out,  his  knees  projecting  forwards 
his  arms  backwards,  his  head  downwards^  and  the  apophyses,  or^bunXng 
&7t  "  P  '/^^^/  '^  r""'"^.  '°^f  g^^'  ^«  ^^^  aptly  ^described  by  that  fn^ 
f^\)rfjS'"'ll  ^"  ^J'f  word-who  refers  for  fuller  proof  of  the  resemblance 
Z  J:.l^  \  ^'""dSoJomon^s portraiture  of  old  a^e.-The  resemblance  may 
mvS^?^^?.''  ^Ji  ^}^  comparison,  I  confeas,  conveys  a  conception  to 
my  mind  too  odd  and  ludicrous  to  be  willingly  admitted  on  such  a  subject 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.   9,  10.     XII.  1-7.  .39.3 

burden.  It  is  not  improbable,  that  the  phrase  was  a  proverbial 
one  for  the  utmost  degree  of  debility. 

"And  desire  shall  fail." — I  rest  in  the  ordinary  interpretation 
of  these  words,  as  signifying  the  cessation  of  the  desire  of  animal 
pleasures ;  the  appetites  and  propensities  of  nature  giving  way 
with  the  departure  of  the  warmth  of  youth,  the  cooling  of  the 
blood,  the  sinking  of  the  animal  spirits,  and  the  general  exhaustion 
of  the  energies  and  capacities  of  the  living  frame. 

"Because  man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and  the  mourners  go 
about  the  streets." — The  grave  is  man's  long  or  perpetual  home. 
As  time  advances,  indeed,  the  epithet  will  become  less  and  less 
appropriate,  as  the  sleep  of  the  tomb  will  be  shorter  and  shorter, 
till  the  sounding  of  the  "trump  of  God;"  when  the  slumbers  of 
centuries  and  the  repose  of  a  day  shall  be  disturbed  together ;  when 
righteous  Abel,  the  earliest  tenant  of  the  tomb,  shall  quit  the 
narrow  house,  and  the  breath  shall  at  the  same  time  return  to  the 
man  who  is  yet  warm  in  his  shroud.  But  the  terms  w^ere  appro- 
priate in  Solomon's  days,  and  are  so  still  in  ours ;  and  to  all  who 
reach  the  grav^e  it  must  ever  continue  a  perpetual  home,  in  as  far 
as  respects  their  return  to  "  the  place  that  knew  them "  in  the 
present  world.  "When  a  few  years  are  come,  then  I  shall  go  the 
way  whence  I  shall  not  return." — "Man  lieth  down,  and  riseth 
not;  till  the  heavens  be  no  more  they  shall  not  awake,  nor  be 
raised  out  of  their  sleep." — "As  the  cloud  is  consumed  and  van- 
isheth  away,  so  he  that  goeth  down  to  the  grave  shall  come  up 
no  more.  He  shall  return  no  more  to  his  house,  neither  shall  his 
place  know  him  any  more."  Perhaps  the  "long  home"  may 
mean,  not  specifically  the  grave,  but  i\\Q  future  state  in  general, — 
the  "  undiscovered  country,  from  whose  bourne  no  traveller  re- 
turns,"— where  the  condition  of  every  individual  is  immediately 
and  irreversibly  settled. 

"  The  mourners  going  about  the  streets "  refers  to  the  ancient 
eastern  custom  of  employing  official  mourners,  who  were  hired 
for  the  purpose  of  wailing  for  the  dead :  raising  public  lamenta- 
tions over  them ;  attending  at  their  funeral  obsequies ;  by  dress, 
and  voice,  and  gesture,  and  all  tha  outward  expressions  of  grief, 
moving  the  feelings  of  kindred  and  spectators ;  and  praising  the 
excellences  of  the  departed  in  dirges  of  plaintive  music,  which,  in 
extraordinary  cases,  were  even  recorded  amongst  the  sacred  melo- 


394 


LECTURE    XXII. 


dies  of  the  country.  Thus  "  the  singing-men  and  singing-women  " 
celebrated  the  virtues  of  good  king  Josiah.  They  "spoke  of  Josiah 
in  their  lamentations,"  says  the  writer  of  the  Chronicles,  "to  this 
day,  and  made  them  an  ordinance  in  Israel:  and  behold  they  are 
written  in  the  Lamentations."  2  Chron.  xxxv.  25.  To  the  same 
description  of  persons  the  prophet  Jeremiah  alludes,  when,  weeping 
for  the  slain  of  the  daughter  of  his  people,  he  says,  "Thus  saith 
the  Lord,  Consider  ye,  and  call  for  the  mourning  women  that 
they  may  come ;  and  send  for  cunning  women  that  they  may  come : 
and  let  them  make  haste,  and  take  up  a  wailing  for  us,  that  our 
eyes  may  run  down  with  tears,  and  our  eyelids  gush  out  with 
^vaters."  Jer.  ix.  17,  18. 

Our  customs  differ  from  theirs.  We  should  be  apt  to  think 
this  kind  of  mercenary  and  fictitious  sorrow  a  burden  rather  than 
a  gratification  to  the  disconsolate  spirit  of  bereaved  and  agonized 
affection ;  and  likely,  besides,  in  most  instances,  to  be  proportioned 
to  the  w^ealth  more  than  to  the  w^orth  of  its  subjects.  But  we  also 
have  every  day  before  our  eyes  the  sight  of  "mourners,"  although 
not  of  the  same  description,  "going  about  the  streets;"  relatives 
and  friends  assuming  in  succession  for  each  other  the  garb  of  sor- 
row. The  man  of  grey  hairs  has  followed  many  a  bier  in  the 
course  of  his  fourscore  years,— has  dropt  his  tears  offender  sympa- 
thy, or  of  heart-broken  anguish,  over  many  a  grave:— and  now^ 
at  length  the  mourners  assemble  for  himself,  and  follow  him  to 
"his  long  home,"  and  commit  Ms  loved  and  venerated  dust  to 
the  house  of  silence.— Various  have  been  the  interpretations  of 
Verse  6.  Or  ever  the  silver  cord  be  loosed,  or  the  golden  bowl  be 
broken,  or  the  pitcher  be  broken  at  the  fountain,  or  the  tvheel  broken 
at  the  cistern. 

The  silver  cord  being  loosed,  and  the  golden  boMd  broken,  have 
been  thought  to  represent  life  under  the  image  of  a  lamp  of  gold 
suspended  by  a  cord  of  silver  threads  from  the  cieling  of  a  festive 
hall,  enlightening  and  enlivening  the  company:— but  the  cord 
loosens  or  snaps  asunder,  the  lamp  falls  and  is  broken,  the  light 
is  extinguished,  and  all  is  involved  in  gloom.*— The  remainder 
of  the  verse  has  been  interpreted  as  a  figure  taken  from  the  furni- 
tnre  of  a  well.     The  bucket  and  the  wheel  are  broken :  the  water 


*  Dathias. 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.   9,  10.     XIl.  1-7.  395 

can  no  longer  be  drawn :  and,  instead  of  the  busy  and  lively  scene 
that  was  wont  to  surround  the  well's  mouth,  all  is  solitude  and 
silence,  the  ground  untrodden,  the  water  stagnant. — The  imagery 
of  the  entire  verse  has  by  others  been  traced  to  this  latter  source. 
"There  is  a  cord  to  the  hoiol,  or  bucket,  with  which  the  water  is 
drawn;  a  wheel  by  which  the  more  easily  to  raise  it;  a  cistern,  into 
which  it  may  be  poured ;  and  a  jntcher,  or  vessel  to  carry  it  away 
with : — but  now  all  are  broken  or  loosened,  and  become  useless." 
Thus,  at  death,  all  the  functions  of  life  terminate,  and  the  entire 
mechanism  of  the  human  frame  is  shattered  and  goes  to  decay. 
"The  lungs  cease  to  play,  the  heart  ceases  to  beat,  the  blood  to 
circulate  ;  every  vessel  becomes  useless ;  the  whole  surprising  con- 
trivance for  forming  and  communicating  the  blood,  which  is  the 
life,  from  the  fountain  of  the  heart  to  every  extremity  of  the  body, 
is  entirely  deranged:  the  silver  cord  is  loosed,  the  golden  bowl  is 
broken,  the  pitcher  and  the  wheel  are  alike  marred."* 

But  I  cannot  persuade  myself  to  dismiss  this  interesting  de- 
scription thus  hastily. — One  of  the  difficulties  which  we  feel  in  the 
explanation  of  it  arises  from  our  not  being  acquainted  with  the 
terms  and  phrases  then  employed  in  the  different  departments  of 
natural  science,  as  far  as  the  cultivation  of  them  extended;  nor 
even  with  the  names  in  common  use,  for  many  of  the  parts,  es- 
pecially in  the  internal  structure,  of  the  animal  machine.  I  can 
hardly  suppo&e  the  phraseology  of  Solomon  here  to  have  been  en- 
tirely poetical ;  I  mean,  the  immediate  invention  of  his  own  fancy 
alone;  expressing  resemblances  that  had  presented  themselves  to 
his  own  mind,  but  had  not  at  all  been  previously  recognized  in 
the  language  of  ordinary  life.  It  is  well  known  how  many  of  the 
terms  and  designations  by  which  anatomists  have  chosen  to  dis- 
tinguish the  different  organs  and  functions  of  the  human  frame 
are  figurative, — borrowed  from  obvious  or  remote  analogies,  and 
likenesses  to  other  objects  and  operations  in  nature; — and  the  same 
terms  and  phrases,  or  others  framed  on  similar  principles,  are  to 
be  found  in  common  discourse. 

Suppose,  then,  we  adopt  the  common  explanation  of  the  "silver 
cord,"  (which  I  confess  myself  disposed  to  do)  as  signifying  the 
spinal  marrow, — that  prolongation  of  the  brain  which  comes 
down  in  the  central  tube  of  the  back  bone,  and  sends  off  nerves 


*  Scott's  Commentary. 


396  LECTURE    XXII 

in  all  directions,  which  branch  into  innumerable  fibers,  distri- 
buted to'  the  remotest  extremities : — is  it  at  all  necessary  that 
we  consider  the  name  as  Solomon's  own, — a  fine  poetical  image? 
At  the  risk  of  marring  to  some  minds  the  beauty  of  the  image,  I 
must  say  that  I  think  it  more  likely  to  have  been  the  common 
name  for  the  part  of  our  frame  in  question.  We  can  hardly  con- 
ceive a  designation  more  strikingly  appropriate.  The  medullary 
cord  it  is  often  called  by  anatomists  at  this  day;  and  why  it  should 
be  denominated  the  silver  cord  no  one  need  be  told,  that  has  seen 
its  silvery  whiteness,  which  is  particularly  remarkable  as  it  aj)- 
pears  in  the  living  subject,  or  when  exposed  while  death  is  recent 
and  the  body  fresh. — The  loosing  of  the  silver  cord  is  the  final 
cessation  of  nervous  influence  and  of  all  sensibility.  It  is  by  means 
of  the  nerves  that  the  soul  transmits  and  eifectuates  its  volitions. 
It  is  by  them  also  that  all  the  bodily  senses  convey  to  it  the  im- 
pressions made  upon  them  by  their  respective  objects.  Is  it,  then, 
refining  too  much,  to  regard  the  nerves  as  the  medium  of  com- 
munication between  the  body  and  the  mind? — the  bond,  as  it  were, 
of  their  connection  and  intercourse  ? — and  the  loosing  of  the  silver 
cord  as  the  dissolution  of  their  intimate  and  mysterious  fellow- 
ship? 

By  the  "golden  bowl"  some  understand  the  heart.  But  to  a 
bowl  the  heart  bears  no  great  resemblance,  and  still  less  to  one  of 
gold;  and  it  is  more  probably  represented,  in  next  clause  of  the 
verse,  by  the  fountain. — There  are  two  membranes  that  envelope 
the  brain ;  the  one,  firm  and  opaque,  surrounding  the  whole  mass ; 
yet,  though  in  contact,  not  properly  connected  with  it,  but  rather 
lining  the  skull ; — the  other,  soft,  delicate,  and  transparent,  closely 
attached  to  the  brain,  insinuating  itself  between  all  its  convolu- 
tions, compacting  and  lubricating  the  whole.  The  golden  bowl 
might  be  the  common  anatomical  name  for  this  beautiful  integu- 
ment, both  on  account  of  its  globular  shape,  and  from  its  yellow- 
ish color,  bearing  a  nearer  resemblance  to  that  of  gold  than  any 
other  part  of  the  body.  There  is  no  occasion  in  this,  any  more 
than  in  the  former  case,  for  having  recourse  to  poetical  imagery. 
There  is,  in  truth,  much  more  of  fancy  and  metaphor  in  the  desig- 
nations of  the  severe  and  the  affectionate  motlter,^'  given  in  modern 

■'''  Dura  mater,  and  pia  mater. 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.   9,  10.    XII.  1-7.  .307 

anatomy  to  the  two  membranes  I  have  mentioned,  than  in  that  of 
the  golden  bowl,  which  is  founded,  surely,  in  a  greatly  simpler  and 
more  direct  resemblance.  I  have  somewhere  seen  it  said,  that 
this  membrane  is  frequently  shrivelled  and  ruptured  at  death. 
But  whatever  be  in  this,  the  breaking  of  the  golden  bowl  may 
signify  the  termination  of  all  the  functions  of  that  most  essential 
and  precious  organ  of  the  mind's  operations,  the  brain: — "In  that 
very  day,  his  thoughts  perish." 

The  expressions  which  follow  have  been  conceived  to  refer  to 
the  circulation  of  the  blood: — "and  the  pitcher  be  broken  at  the 
fountain,  and  the  wheel  be  broken  at  the  cistern." — The  discovery 
of  this  most  wonderful  and  beautiful  process  being  attributed  to 
an  anatomist  of  our  owni  country,  at  a  period  comparatively  very 
recent,  it  may  be  reckoned  extravagant  to  suppose  the  knowledge 
of  it  to  have  been  possessed  by  Solomon  in  so  remote  an  age  of 
antiquity.  It  is  not  at  all  impossible,  however,  that  this  knowl- 
edge might  then  have  existed,  and,  like  some  other  branches  of 
science,  have  been  subsequently  lost ;  which  does  not  in  the  least 
detract  from  the  jjraise  due  to  the  modern  discoverer.  It  seems 
exceedingly  unlikely  that  the  circulation  of  the  blood  should  be 
an  entire  secret  till  so  late  as  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Passages  have  been  quoted  from  different  writers  which 
seem  to  prove  that  it  w^as  not  unknown  to  the  ancients,  whatever 
uses  they  made  of  their  acquaintance  with  it,  and  in  whatever 
ways  they  might  account  for  its  curious  and  astonishing  pheno- 
mena. But,  at  any  rate,  let  us  recollect  what  the  inspired  record 
affirms  of  the  extent  of  information,  in  the  various  departments 
of  natural  science,  acquired  by  Solomon.  It  is  true  that  we  have 
no  remains  of  his  researches  in  human  and  comparative  anatomy. 
But  the  same  thing  is  true  of  other  branches,  in  which  we  know 
him  to  have  excelled.  He  "spoke  of  trees,  from  the  cedar-tree 
that  is  in  Lebanon,  even  unto  the  hyssop  that  springeth  out  of 
the  wall:" — yet,  where  are  now  the  traces  of  Solomon's  botany? 
"He  spoke  also  of  beasts:" — what  has  become  of  his  zoology? — 
^^and  of  fowl,  and  of  creeping  things,  and  of  fishes:" — are  any 
extant  works,  or  remnants  of  works,  to  be  found  in  the  depart- 
ments of  natural  history  that  treat  of  these?  Even  the  intima- 
tion, general  as  it  is,  that  these  different  provinces  of  animated 
nature  were  extensively  explored,  and  carefully  studied  by  him. 


398  LECTURE   XXII. 

warrants  the  conclusion  that  he  was  not  inattentive  to  their  in- 
ternal and  comparative  structure :  and  when  we  connect  with  this 
the  penetrating  sagacity  and  comprehensive  enlargement  of  his 
mind,  we  may  feel  our  incredulity  mitigated  at  least,  if  not  en- 
tirely removed,  respecting  his  acquaintance  with  the  sanguineous 
system. 

The  HEART  is  the  fountain,  from  which  the  streams  of  vital 
nourishment  pervade  the  whole  animal  frame.  To  enter  into 
any  minute  detail  of  the  manner  in  which  it  performs  its  office, 
and  of  the  entire  system  of  venous  and  arterial  vessels,  would  be 
utterly  out  of  place.  Some  general  idea,  however,  may  be  given 
of  the  process.  For  the  due  performance  of  its  functions,  the 
human  heart  is  divided  into  four  distinct  cavities  or  chambers. 
From  one  of  these,  on  the  left  side  of  the  heart,  the  blood,  in  its 
pure  state,  is  forced,  by  the  powerful  contraction  of  this  wonderful 
organ,  (a  contraction  produced  by  the  quantity  and  the  stimulating 
virtue  of  the  blood  itself,)  into  the  open  mouth  of  one  large  artery, 
which  immediately  branches  off  in  smaller  divisions,  and  these 
again  in  smaller,  till  their  numberless  and  unsearchably  minute 
ramifications  have  diffused  the  streams  of  life,  and  warmth,  and 
nourishment,  to  the  remotest  extremities  of  the  body, — so  perfectly, 
you  all  are  aware,  that  you  cannot  pierce  the  skin  with  the  point 
of  a  needle,  without  punctviring  a  vessel,  and  drawing  blood. 
From  the  arteries,  the  blood  is  taken  up  by  the  mouths  of  innum- 
erable small  veins,  which,  reversing  what  took  place  with  the 
arteries,  unite  into  larger  and  larger  branches,  (like  rills  uniting 
into  streamlets,  and  these  into  rivers,)  till  at  length,  by  two  large 
veins,  one  bringing  it  from  the  superior,  and  the  other  from  the 
lower  parts  of  the  body,  it  is  poured  into  the  upper  cavity,  (where 
these  two  veins  unite,)  on  the  right  side  of  the  heart, — the  side 
opposite  to  that  from  which  it  has  issued. — But  observe — the  blood 
is  not  now  in  the  same  state.  It  issued  of  a  bright  red  color,  and 
fit  for  the  purposes  of  life.  It  is  now  of  a  dark  purple  hue,  and, 
in  its  passage  through  the  body,  has  either  contracted  or  parted 
with  such  qualities,  as  to  be  no  longer  capable  of  supporting  life, — 
of  giving  warmth  and  nourishment  to  the  animal  frame.  It  must 
be  again  purified.  And  wonderful  is  the  provision  made  for  this 
necessary  purpose.  From  the  upper  cavity  on  the  side  of  the 
heart  to  v/hich  the  blood  was  restored  by  the  veins,  it  passes  into 


ECCLESIASTES  XI.   9,  10.    XII.    1-7.  399 

the  inferior  chamber  on  the  same  side :  and  thence  it  is  propelled, 
through  a  large  artery,  to  the  lungs.  Into  the  lungs  we  are  con- 
tinually, by  respiration,  drawing  the  air  of  the  atmosphere.  The 
vessels  into  which  the  air  is  drawn  lie  close  along-side  of  the 
blood-vessels,  throughout  the  entire  substance  of  the  lungs.  The 
air  which  we  inhale  is  found,  when  we  breathe  it  out  again,  to 
have  lost  its  purity,  and  to  have  become  unfit  for  the  support  of 
animal  life.  That  which  it  has  lost  has  been  imparted,  by  a 
mysterious  chemical  process,  to  the  blood ;  which  is  sent  back  from 
the  lungs,  in  its  original  purity,  by  several  large  veins,  which 
unite  at  the  upper  cavity,  or  reservoir,  on  the  left  side  of  the  heart. 
From  this  it  passes  into  the  inferior  cavity,  from  which  it  had 
first  issued,  and  commences  anew  its  nutritious  course  through 
the  system. — Thus,  there  are  properly  two  circulations, — a  greater 
and  a  lesser ;  one  through  the  body,  the  other  through  the  lungs ; 
both  equally  essential,  each  being  useless  without  the  other; 
and  both  incessantly  going  on  together: — two  hearts,  in  truth, 
beating  simultaneously,  receiving  the  blood  at  the  same  instant, 
the  one  from  the  body  and  the  other  from  the  lungs,  and  then  at 
the  same  instant  driving  it  through  the  body  and  through  the 
lungs  again,  and  that  at  the  rate  of  seventy  strokes  every  minute, 
during  the  whole  course  of  a  man's  life!  The  various  arrange- 
ments, and  exquisite  contrivances,  by  which  both  these  circulations 
are  effected,  so  as  to  go  forward  continually,  independently  of  our 
volitions,  present  a  display  of  wisdom  and  power  utterly  over- 
whelming ;  such  as  no  man  can  contemplate  in  a  proper  frame  of 
mind,  without  adoring  the  Author  of  his  being,  and  exclaiming, 
"  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made :" — "  O  Lord,  how  manifold 
are  thy  works!  in  wisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all." 

In  the  verse  before  us,  then,  we  may  suppose  the  heart  to  be 
the  "fountain:" — the  great  artery,  which  receives  the  blood  im- 
mediately from  it,  to  tJe  distributed  through  all  the  rest,  may  be 
intended  by  the  "pitcher:" — and  the  "pitcher  is  broken  at  the 
fountain,"  when,  at  death,  this  vessel  loses  its  elastic  propelling 
power,  ceases  to  act,  collapses,  and  lies  empty  and  useless. 

The  lohed  was  a  power  by  which  the  water  was  drawn  from 
the  cistern,  or  pit.  It  may  be  understood  to  represent  the  lungs, 
the  organ  of  respiration.  And  this,  indeed,  seems  to  be  the  great 
impelling  power  of  the  whale  living  system;  on  whicli  depend 


400  LECTURE    XXII. 

all  the  effective  movements  of  the  heart  itself,  and  consequently 
of  every  other  part  of  the  animal  frame.  The  play  of  the  heart 
is  maintained  by  the  play  of  the  lungs,  by  which  its  purity  and  its 
stimulant  powers  are  imparted  to  the  blood.  So  that,  by  analogy, 
not  indeed  in  all  respects  correct,  but  as  well  grounded  as  some 
more  modern  ones  in  anatomical  science,  the  lungs  may  be  said 
to  bring  its  fluid  contents  from  the  heart,  as  the  wheel  draws  the 
water  from  the  well. — When  death  approaches,  the  lungs  gradu- 
ally cease  to  play;  less  and  less  air  is  inhaled,  and  inhaled  with 
irregularity  and  difficulty;  the  action  of  the  heart  becomes  pro- 
portionally feeble  and  intermittent ;  till,  at  length,  the  last  breath 
is  faintly  expired ;  the  lungs  collapse;  the  pulses  all  cease;  and 
the  stillness  of  death  insues. — And — 

Verse  7.  Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  loas;  and 
the  spirit  sliall  return  unto  God  who  gave  it. 

The  body,  formed  originally  from  the  dust,  shall  undergo  the 
*full  execution  of  its  sentence, — "  Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  thou 
shalt  return :"  a  sentence  pronounced  on  man  in  consequence  of 
his  sin,  and  of  which  the  stroke  of  death,  throughout  successive 
generations,  has  been  the  righteous  fulfilment.  For,  although 
man  was  formed  from  the  dust,  he  was  not  on  that  account  neces- 
saj'ily  mortal.  The  power  that  gave  him  life  was  able  to  sustain 
it  in  never-fading  vigor.  We  talk  of  death  as  coming  in .  the 
course  of  nature.  But  of  the  original  course  of  nature,  when  man 
c^me  in  the  beauty  of  holiness  from  his  Creator's  hand,  it  was  no 
part.  It  pertains  to  the  course  oi fallen  nature.  Man  was  death- 
less while  he  was  sinless.  He  became  mortal  when  he  apostatized 
from  God.  And  the  universality  of  the  reign  of  death  is  a  mourn- 
ful but  conclusive  evidence  of  the  universality  of  the  apostacy. 
Every  shrouded  corpse,  and  every  opening  grave,  should  lead  our 
minds  back  to  the  entrance  of  sin, — to 

" man's  first  disobedience,  and  the  fruit 

Of  that  forbidden  tree,  whose  mortal  taste 
Brought  death  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe." 

And  while  the  body  is  consigned  to  the  grave,  to  be  food  for 
the  loathsome  worm,  and  to  mingle  with  the  dust  of  former  gen- 
erations, the  immortal  spirit,  the  tenant  of  this  earthly  tabernacle, 
shall — perish  with  it?  No. — Sleep  with  it  in  the  tomb  for 
ages  in  a  state  of  insensibility  ?     No. — It  shall  "return  unto  God 


ECCLESIASTES   XT.    9,  10.      XII.   1-7.  401 

who  gave  it." — Solomon  was  no  materialist.  He  did  not  consider 
the  soul  as  of  the  same  substance  with  the  body,  and  thought  as 
the  mere  result  of  certain  modifications  and  arrangements  of  matter 
and  motion,  and  death  the  final  destruction  of  the  whole  man; — 
but  the  body  as  only  the  organ  of  the  indwelling  spirit,  like  a 
complete  set  of  admirably  adapted  instruments,  by  which  it  ac- 
quired its  knowledge,  and  reduced  that  knowledge  to  use  in  the 
execution  of  the  dictates  of  its  will;  and  the  soul,  though  acting 
by  means  of  the  body  while  it  continues  its  occupant,  yet  capable 
of  existence,  of  thought,  and  of  activity,  in  a  state  of  separation 
from  it.  Of  the  manner,  it  is  true,  in  which  a  spirit  exists,  and 
thinks,  and  acts,  and  enjoys,  in  its  disembodied  state,  we  can  form 
no  distinct  conception ;  but  we  are  quite  as  ignorant  of  the  manner 
in  which  spirit  operates  on  matter  when  connected  with  it;  for, 
though  we  know  the  facts,  we  cannot  account  for  them:  and  if 
even  the  facts  that  are  attested  by  our  senses  and  experience  we 
are  unable  to  explain,  ought  not  this  to  prevent  incredulity  and 
scepticism  as  to  others  that  are  beyond  the  sphere  of  our  obser- 
vation, and  which  we  have  no  cause  for  doubting  but  our  inca- 
pacity to  conceive  of  them  ? 

Nor  was  the  soul,  according  to  Solomon,  to  fall,  during  the 
sleep  of  the  body  in  the  grave,  into  a  state  of  insensibility,  or  un- 
consciousness.— Had  it  been  to  partake  in  the  deep  slumbers  of 
the  tomb,  it  could  not  have  been  said  to  "  return  to  God  who  gave 
it"  any  more  than  the  body.  The  distinction  between  the  two  is 
marked;  and  the  existence  of  the  soul,  in  life  and  consciousness, 
when  separate  from  the  body,  emphatically  declared. 

When  the  spirit  thus  returns  to  God,  we  are  not  to  understand 
that  in  every  instance  it  is  to  remain  in  His  presence,  and  to  enter 
into  his  joy.  It  goes  to  receive  its  doom  from  the  supreme  Judge ; 
a  doom,  not  at  that  time  formally  pronounced,  indeed,  but  which 
the  subsequent  decisions  of  the  great  day  shall  only  recognize  and 
ratify.  That  day  of  formal  judicial  sentence  may  be  distant:  but 
this  is  not  inconsistent  with  immediate  transition  at  death  to  happi- 
ness or  woe, — with  the  "spirits  of  the  just"  being  "made  per- 
fect" in  heaven,  and  the  souls  of  the  wicked  "going  to  their  own 
place," — to  that  everlasting  fire  that  is  jjrepared  for  the  devil  and 
his  angels." — "The  beggar  died,  and  was  carried  by  the  angels 
26 


402  LECTURE   XXII. 

into  Abraham's  bosom.     The  rich  man  also  died,  and  was  buried ; 
and  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torments." 

The  feelings,  my  friends,  with  which  we  contemplate  the  de- 
scription in  this  passage,  or  behold  it  realized  in  our  aged  friends 
or  others  around  us,  must  vary  according  to  the  characters  and 
the  prospects  of  those  in  whom  we  witness  the  symptoms  of  decay 
and  of  approaching  dissolution. — "  The  hoary  head  is  a  crown  of 
glory,  when  it  is  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness."  There  is 
not  on  earth  a  more  venerable  and  delightful  spectacle  than  of  an 
aged  pilgrim  "walking  with  God:"  and  a  more  aifecting  and 
deeply  melancholy  sight  can  hardly,  on  the  contrary,  be  imagined, 
than  that  of  a  hoary-headed  sinner,  who  has  lived  his  fourscore 
years  "without  God  in  the  world!" — all  that  time,  God  calling 
and  he  refusing: — and  the  Almighty  "angry  with  him  every 
day :" — his  body  now  bowed  down  beneath  the  weight  of  years, — 
all  his  powers,  of  action  and  of  enjoyment,  decaying, — every  hour 
likely  to  be  his  last, — time  all  behind  him,  and  eternity  all  before 
him, — and  his  soul  still  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sins," — the  hour 
of  his  departure  come,  and  no  readiness  for  the  world  to  which 
he  is  bound ! — O  with  what  opposite  emotions  do  we  contemplate 
old  age  in  this  character,  and  in  the  saint  of  God  who,  in  ap- 
proaching the  close  of  his  earthly  pilgrimage,  is  drawing  near  to 
what  has  long  been  the  goal  of  his  hopes  and  desires;  who,  while 
outwardly  decaying,  is  inwardly  maturing  for  heaven;  in  whom 
every  symptom  of  coming  death  is  but  a  symptom  of  approaching 
life;  and  who,  in  the  final  exhaustion  of  nature,  bids  adieu  to  the 
world  in  the  words  of  aged  Simeon,  "Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace, — for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation !" 

True,  indeed,  it  is  painful  for  affection  to  mark  the  indications 
of  increasing  feebleness  in  the  objects  of  its  tender  regard;  to  see 
infirmities  multiplying,  and  troubles  gaining  ground,  which  it 
feels  its  inability  to  remove,  and  can  only  soothe  by  the  gentle 
offices  of  kindness;  to  be  thus  continually  reminded,  that  the  hour 
is  at  hand  when  the  dear  old  father,  or  friend,  to  whom  it  has 
long  clung  in  fond  attachment,  must  take  his  final  leave.  And 
when  that  hour  arrives, — Avhen  the  "silver  cord  is  loosed,  the 
golden  bowl  broken,  the  pitcher  broken  at  the  fountain,  and  the 
wheel  broken  at  the  cistern," — even  though  the  event  has  long 
been  anticipated,  who  can  witness  it  Avithout  deep  emotion? — who 


ECC'LESIASTES   XI.    9,  10,     XIl.  1-7.  403 

enn  part  even  from  exhausted  ti*re  without  a  pang  of  inexpressible 
tenderness  ? 

Of  all  the  periods  and  events  of  life,  the  concluding  scene  is  the 
one  of  deepest  interest  to  the  person  himself,  and  to  surviving  spec- 
tators. Various  are  the  ways  in  which  it  conies,  and  various  the 
aspects  it  presents;  but  in  all  it  is  solemn.  What  can  be  more 
so,  than  the  approach  of  that  moment  which,  to  the  dying  man, 
is  the  boundary  between  time  and  eternity?  wiiich  concludes  the 
one,  and  commences  the  other:  which  terminates  all  his  interests 
in  this  world,  and  fixes  his  condition  for  a  never-ending^jxistence 
in  the  world  unknown? — What  can  be  more  so,  than  those  mo- 
ments of  silent  and  indescribable  anxiety,  when  the  last  sands  of 
the  numbered  hour  are  running;  when  the  beat  of  the  heart  has 
become  too  languid  to  be  felt  at  the  extremities  of  the  frame; 
when  the  cold  hand  returns  not  the  gentle  pressure;  when  the 
restless  limbs  lie  still  and  motionless;  when  the  eye  is  fixed,  and 
the  ear  turns  no  more  toward  the  voice  of  consoling  kindness ; 
when  the  breath,  before  oppressive  and  laborious,  becomes  feebler 
and  feebler,  till  it  dies  slowly  away — and  to  the  listening  ear 
there  is  no  sound  amidst  the  breathless  silence;  nor  to  the  arrested 
eye,  that  watches  with  the  unmoving  look  of  thrilling  solicitude 
for  the  last  symptom  of  remaining  life,  is  motion  longer  precepti- 
ble; — when  surrounding  friends  continue  to  speak  in  whispers, 
and  to  step  through  the  chamber  on  the  tiptoe. of  cautious  quiet- 
ness, as  if  still  fearful  of  disturbing  him — whom  the  noise  of  a 
thousand  thunders  could  not  now  startle — who  has  fallen  on  that 
last  sleep,  from  which  nothing  shall  rouse,  but  "the  voice  of  the 
archangel,  and  the  trump  of  God"? 

Solemn  and  affecting  as  the  scene  is  when  man  thus  *'goeth  to 
his  long  home," — when  age  closes  in  death, — when  "  the  dust  re- 
turns to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  to  God  who  gave  it;" 
how  sweetly  cheering,  how  inexpressibly  consoling  is  it,  when  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  is  lighted  from  heaven;  and 
when  the  grave,  dark  and  dreary  as  it  is,  is  closed  over  the 
dead,  "in  the  sure  and  certain  hope"  that  as  "Jesus  died  and  rose 
again,  even  so  them  also  who  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with 
him!" 

Ye  aged  pilgrims,  who  have  begun  to  experience  and  to  exem- 
plify the  truth   of  Solomon's   description — fear  not.      Let  your 


404  LECTURE   xxir. 

trust  b^  in  him  who  hath  said,  "1  will  never  leave,  thee,  I  will 
never  forsake  thee :" — "  Even  to  your  old  age  I  am  he ;  and  even 
to  hoar  hairs  will  I  carry  you."  Look  backward  with  gratitude ; 
look  upward  with  confidence;  and  look  onward  with  hope.  Your 
"  heart  and  your  flesh  fail ;  but  God  is  the  strength  of  your  heart, 
and  your  portion  for  ever." 

And,  O  ye  who  have  lived  from  childhood  to  youth,  and  from 
youth  to  age,  regardless  of  God  and  of  eternity,  with  no  relish  for 
any  pleasures  but  those  of  time  and  sense,  "  walking  in  the  ways 
of  your  .hearts,  and  in  the  sight  of  your  eyes,"  and  to  whom 
the  years  have  "drawn  nigh,"  and  have  come,  when  the  zest 
of  those  earlier  pleasures  is  gone,  and  there  is  nothing  in  their 
stead, — to  whom  remembrance  yields  only  regrets,  and  antici- 
pation doubt  and  fears : — O  end  not  as  you  have  begun :  die  not 
as  you  have  lived :  you  have  thrown  away  your  life ;  throw  not 
away  eternity  too.  Your  guilt  has  been  deep;  your  folly  has 
been  extreme  ;  your  danger  is  imminent ;  but  I  dare  not  say, — 
the  mercy  of  God  in  the  gospel  forbids  me  to  say, — that  your 
condition  is  hopeless.  Even  to  you,  the  sceptre  of  his  grace  is 
extended;  even  to  you  the  voice  of  invitation  is  still  addressed, 
"turn  ye,  turn  ye,  for  why  will  ye  die?"  There  is  but  a  step  be- 
tween you  and  deatli.  O  let  not  that  last  step  be  taken  without 
God.  Bow  before  the  footstool  of  his  throne.  Lay  your  gray 
hairs  there  in  the  dust  of  penitential  abasement.  Confess  your 
guilt.  Let  your  spirit  bend  to  the  offers  of  free  mercy.  "  Believe 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved :"  for  he  excepts 
none  from  the  gracious  assurance, — "Him  that  cometh  unto  me, 
I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

And  ye,  my  young  friends;  which  of  the  two  characters  we  have 
been  bringing  before  your  view  would  you  wish  to  be  yours, 
should  you  live  to  old  age?  You  can  have  but  one  answer  to  the 
question.  You  desire  to  die  in  peace  with  God,  and  in  good  hope 
for  eternity.  If  such  be  your  desire,  "  remember  now  your  Creator 
in  the  days  of  your  youth."  Thus  prepare  for  an  honorable  and 
happy  old  age,  and  for  a  death  of  tranquillity  and  hope. — But 
your  reaching  old  age,  the  word  of  God  tells  you,  and  the  events 
of  every  day  tell  you,  is  an  extreme  uncertainty.  You  have  no 
covenant  with  death.  The  years  you  anticipate  may  never  come; 
they  may  never  even  "draw  nigh." — "Childhood  and  youth  are 


ECCLESIASTES   XI.    9,  10.     XII.    1-7.  405 

vanity."  If,  therefore,  you  would  live  a  life  of  genuine  happiness, 
however  long, — "remember  your  Creator  in  the  days  of  your 
youth:"  and  if  you  would  be  secure  for  a  future  world,  at  what- 
ever period  you  may  be  summoned  from  this,  again  I  say,  "re- 
member your  Creator  in  the  days  of  your  youth."  I  could  call 
many  amongst  my  hearers  to  witness  to  you,  that  they  were 
strangers  to  true  enjoyment  till  they  entered  on  a  religious  life, — 
a  life  of  faith  upon  tlie  Son  of  God.  "  O  taste,  and  see  that  the 
Lord  is  good !" 


LECTURE  XXni 


ECCLESIASTES    XII.    8-14. 

"Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  Preacher;  all  (is)  vanity.  9.  And  moreover, 
liecaiise  the  Preacher  was  wise,  he  still  taught  the  people  knowledge ;  yea, 
he  gave  good  heed,  and  sought  out,  (and)  set  in  order  many  proverbs.  10. 
The  Preacher  sought  to  find  out  acceptable  words ;  and  (that  which  was) 
written  (was)  upright,  (even)  words  of  truth.  11.  The  words  of  the  wise 
(are)  as  goads,  and  as  nails  fastened  (by)  the  masters  of  assemblies,  (which) 
are  given  from  one  shepherd.  12.  And  further,  by  these,  my  son,  be  ad- 
monished: of  making  many  books  (there  is)  no  end;  and  much  study  (is) 
a  weariness  of  the  flesh.  13.  Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  mat- 
ter: Fear  God,  and  keep  his  commandments:  for  this  (is)  the  whole  (duty) 
of  man.  14.  For  God  shall  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every 
secret  thing,  whether  (it  be)  good,  or  whether  (it  be)  evil." 

Verse  8.  Yanifj/  of  vanities,  saifh  the  Preacher;  all  is  vanity. 

With  this  general  declaration  the  book  had  commenced,  as  the 
text  of  the  preacher's  discourse.  This  text  he  had"  illustrated  in  a 
great  variety  of  lights,  never  losing  sight  of  it,  but  frequently  re- 
peating it  with  particular  application  to  the  different  branches 
of  his  subject.  He  had  commented  on  human  life,  in  many  of 
its  diversified  conditions  and  aspects,  and  had  shown  the  vanity 
of  it  in  each.  He  had  at  length,  in  the  most  affecting  terms,  de- 
scribed the  wants,  and  frailties,  and  troubles,  of  its  concluding 
period,  and  had  brought  it,  after  its  longest  continuance,  to  its 
universal  termination: — "Then  shall  the  dust  return  to  the  eartli 
as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  shall  return  unto  God  who  gave  it." 

How  appropriate,  in  this  connection,  is  the  repetition  of  his 
text !  There  is  no  season  in  which  the  vanity  of  life  is  more  strik- 
ingly apparent,  than  when  a  man  looks  back  upon  it  from  its  ap- 
proacliing  close.  O  in  what  a  different  light  does  it  appear  to  the 
recollections  of  dying  age,  and  to  the  sanguine  anticipations  of 


> 


ECCLESIA8TES   XII.   8-14.  407 


vigorous  and  healthful  youth !  The  latter  looks  forward  to  long 
life,  and  his  flattering  hopes  fill  the  prospect  with  prosperity  and 
happiness: — he  "rejoices  in  his  youth,  and  his  heart  cheers  him 
in  the  days  of  his  youth."  To  the  former,  the  longest  life  ap- 
pears in  the  retrospect  as  short  as,  in  the  anticipations  of  his  early 
days,  it  had  seemed  long :  and,  if  he  has  continued  to  live  for  the 
present  world  only,  his  recollections  of  the  past  must  be  not  only 
"vanity,"  but  unutterable  "vexation  of  spirit."  The  pleasures 
of  sin,  however  fascinating  in  the  enjoyment,  will  then  be  found 
to  "bite  like  a  serpent  and  sting  like  an  adder:" — and  all  the  fled 
joys  of  worldly  prosperity — O  how  inexpressibly  vain  the  re- 
membrance of  them,  when  "the  silver  cord"  is  just  giving  way, — 
the  dust  about  to  "return  to  the  earth,"  and  "the  spirit  to  God 
who  gave  it!" — when  the  recollections  of  time  are  absorbed  in  the 
anticipations  of  eternity !  The  hand  of  death  will  lift  from  before 
the  eyes  of  the  dying  the  veil  of  delusive  fascination  that  covered 
the  emptiness  of  earthly  joys;  and  this  solemn  truth,  inscribed 
upon  them  all,  will  apjiear  in  its  dread  reality,  and  be  felt  in  all 
its  bitterness  by  the  disappointed  and  foreboding  heart — "Vanity 
of  vanities, — all  is  vanity!" 

The  royal  author  of  this  book,  we  have  had  repeated  occasion 
to  observe,  does  not  merely  draw  conclusions  from  reasonable 
principles  and  suppositions,  but  delivers  the  dictates  of  observa- 
tion and  experience.  He  had  seen  crowds  of  mortals  flocking  to 
various  springs,  in  different  and  opposite  directions,  all  in  quest 
of  the  waters  of  happiness ;  and  he  formed  the  resolution,  (cer- 
tainly not  in  wisdom,)  of  trying  them  all  for  himself.  He  records 
in  this  book  the  results  of  his  trial;  to  assure  mankind,  that  at  no 
one  of  those  fountains  where  happiness  is  usually  sought  is  it  really 
to  be  found;  and  to  direct  them,  for  the  attainment  and  permanent 
possession  of  it,  to  the  "  river  of  God's  pleasures." 

The  determination  to  warn  others  is,  in  the  mind  of  a  penitent, 
the  natural  suggestion  of  the  experience  he  has  had  of  the  vanity 
and  fhe  bitterness  of  sin.  The  suggestion  is  especially  strong,  when 
a  professed  servant  of  God' has  gone  astray.  He  has  "given  oc- 
casion to  the  adversaries  of  the  Lord  to  blaspheme."  He  knows 
and  feels  this;  and  he  is  anxious  to  counteract,  by  subsequent  ex- 
ertion for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  others,  the  mischief  he  may  have 
done  by  his  wicked  defection.     Solomon  had  set  a  dreadful,  and 


408  LECTURE    XXIII. 

Avidely  pernicious  example  before  his  subjects.  He  here  appears 
in  the  character  of  a  penitent,  himself  returning  to  God,  and  seek- 
ing to  bring  others  along  with  him ;  employing  all  his  wisdom 
for  this  purpose. 

Verse  9.  *A.nd,  moreover,  because  the  Preaoher  was  wise,  he  still 
taught  the  people  knowledge;  yea,  he  gave  good  heed,  and  sought  out, 
and  set  in  order  many  proverbs. 

"The  Preacher  was  wise."  To  the  origin  of  his  unrivalled 
wisdom  we  have  had  frequent  occasion  to  advert.  Solomon  had 
been  thankful  for  this  precious  gift  of  God.  But  for  a  time,  in  the 
latter  period  of  his  life,  he  had  most  miserably  abused  it.  The 
"  light  that  was  in  him  "  had  been  "  darkness ;"  his  faculties  having 
been  perverted  to  the  purposes  of  vice  and  folly.  Now,  when  he 
is  restored  to  the  right  way,  his  wisdom  is  applied  anew  to  pro- 
per and  worthy  ends.—"  When  thou  art  restored,"— said  our  Lord 
to  Peter,  "strengthen  thy  brethren:"— "feed  my  sheep— feed  my 
lambs." 

The  preacher  "still  taught  the  people  knowledge;"— both  by 
speech,  and  by  writing.  He  taught  them  knowledge  of  the  most 
useful  and  important  kind,— spiritual,  sactifying,  saving  knowl- 
edge,—genuine,  heaven-derived  Avisdom.  The  knowledge  which 
Solomon  possessed  was  very  various.  It  embraced  a  wide  circle 
of  science  and  philosophy.  But  it  was  not  this  that  he  taught  the 
people.  It  was  the  knowledge  of  true  religion :  and  in  this  book 
we  have  a  specimen  of  his  instructions. 

I  cannot  but  remark  here,  how  differently  the  relative  value  of 
things  is  estimated  by  men  and  by  God.  Many  a  philosopher  and 
naturalist,  I  doubt  not,  lias  wished  with  all  his  heart  that,  instead 
of  those  writings  of  Solomon  preserved  in  the  Bible,  we  had  had 
some  of  his  treatises  on  the  natural  history  of  plants  and  animals. 
But  Divine  wisdom  has  j  udged  otherwise.  It  is  not  the  intention 
of  the  Scriptures  to  teach  men  earthly  science,  but  to  teach  them 
religion ;  not  to  make  them  philosophers,  but  to  make  them  saints. 
In  consistency  with  this  design,  those  writings  of  Solomon  which 
have  come  down  to  us  as  a  part  of  the  sacred  canon,  and  which 
we  hold  to  have  been  "given  by  inspiration  of  God,"  are  such  as 
exhibit  the  nature  of  practical  godliness,  and  the  encouragements 
to  its  cultivation,  and  prescribe  numerous  and  excellent  rules  for 
the  conduct  of  life. 


ECCLESIASTES   XII.    8-14.  409 

"Yea,  he  gave  good  heed:"  that  is,  he  applied  hiinseli'  to  this 
object.  He  investigated  truth  carefully;  not  uttering  rash  and 
hasty  sayings,  but  the  results  of  meditation,  and  prayer,  and  di- 
vine illumination. — He  tried  the  various  methods  of  instructing 
men,  and,  amongst  the  rest,  that  of  fscntentioiiAi  maxims,  or  proverbs. 
Of  these,  he  "sought  out  and  set  in  order  many."  The  inspired 
historian  of  his  reign  says,  "He  spoke  three  thousand  proverbs." 
1  Kings  iv.  32.  By  a  proverb  we  usually  understand  a  short 
pithy  sentence,  comprising  in  few  words  some  important  and  no- 
torious truth,  and  in  current  and  general  use.  The  latter  part  of 
this  definition  does  not  necessarily  belong  to  the  idea  of  a  proverb, 
in  the  sense  in  which  the  term  is  used  by  Solomon.  There  is  no 
reason  whatever  for  believing  that  all  his  proverbs  were  in  previous 
circulation,  and  were  by  him  merely  collected.  With  some  of  rhcm 
this  might  be,  and  probably  was,  the  case.  But  in  general,  they 
appear  to  have  been  the  wise  man's  observations  on  human  life, 
and  on  the  circumstances,  characters,  and  prospects  of  men, — 
"sought  out"  with  attentive  care,  committed  to  writing  as  they 
were  made,  and  then  "  set  in  order,"  or  arranged,  in  as  far  as  they 
were  capable  of  arrangement,  for  public  use.  Those  of  them  that 
are  contained  in  the  "Book  of  Proverbs"  we  consider  as  having 
the  sanction  and  authority  of  the  Spirit  of  God. — And  a  wonder- 
ful book  it  is.  What  an  inexhaustible  treasure  of  practical  wis- 
dom !  The  more  deeply  it  is  searched  into,  the  more  we  shall 
always  discover  in  it;  and  the  more  diligent  and  attentive  our 
observation  of  human  life,  and  of  human  nature,  both  in  our- 
selves and  others,  the  more  of  truth  and  accuracy  will  tliere  be 
found  in  its  various  and  valuable  sayings. 

In  teaching  the  people  wisdom, 

Verse  10.  The  Preacher  sought  to  find  out  acceptable  words;  and 
that  which  was  u-ritten  was  upright,  even  words  of  truth. 

"Acceptable  words:" — literally,  icords  of  delight. — He  threw 
his  instructions  into  various  forms,  to  attract  and  to  fix  the  atten- 
tion. He  accommodated  himself  in  this  respect,  as  far  as  was 
consistent  with  preserving  inviolate  the  interests  of  truth,  to  the 
diversified  tastes  of  men.  He  took  care  to  avoid  every  thing,  in 
his  modes  of  expression,  and  in  the  general  manner  of  his  instruc- 
tlonsj  that  could  tend  unnecessarily  to  irritate,  disgust,  and  repel 
those  whom   it  was  the  desire  of  his  heart  to  make  "wise  unto 


410  LECTURE  xxm. 

vsalvatioii."  He  sought  to  gain  their  ear,  only  that  he  might  the 
more  effectually  reach  their  hearts.  He  used  all  the  sweetness  of 
persuasion,  all  the  solemnity  of  affectionate  warning,  and  all  the 
faithfulness  of  kind  reproof,  to  win  sinners  from  the  error  of  their 
ways,  and  draw^  them  to  God.  The  first  nine  chapters  of  the  book 
of  Proverbs,  present  us  with  a  most  interesting  specimen  of  these 
"acceptable  words."  There  is  in  them  an  inimitable  union  of 
admonitory  fidelity,  and  enticing  and  subduing  kindness.  Like 
Paul,  he  "  exhorts,  and  comforts,  and  charges,  as  a  father  doth  his 
children."  The  whole  soul  of  the  writer  is  breathed  out  in  the 
earnestness  of  benevolent  desire. 

It  is  plain,  that  his  "  seeking  to  find  out  acceptable  words "  re- 
fers not  to  the  matter,  but  to  the  manner  of  his  teaching.  In  the 
matter,  he  could  not  accommodate  himself  to  the  likings  of  corrupt 
creatures, — creatures  that  are  ever  disposed  to  "say  to  the  seers. 
See  not;  and  to  the  prophets.  Prophesy  not  unto  us  right  things; 
speak  unto  us  smooth  things;  prophesy  deceits:  get  you  out  of  the 
way,  turn  aside  out  of  the  path,  cause  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  to 
cease  from  before  us."  Isa.  xxx.  10,  11.  The  very  reason  why 
he  Avas  desirous  to  "find  out  acceptable  words"  was,  that  he  knew 
the  truth  itself  to  be  unpalatable.  His  object  was,  to  win  men  to 
that  which  was  fitted  to  secure  their  happiness,  but  to  which  they 
were  naturally  disinclined.  In  the  doctrines  and  precepts  de- 
livered by  him,  he  adhered  most  scrupulously  to  the  counsel  of 
God: — "and  that  which  was  written  was  upright,  even  words  of 
truth."  In  this  he  was  unbending.  What  he  spoke  and  what  he 
wrote  was  "  upright,"  not  only  as  being  the  genuine  declaration 
of  his  own  mind,  but  as  according  with  Divine  intimations,  and 
with  the  dictates  of  that  law,  which  is  "holy,  and  just,  and  good," 
— "righteous  altogether :" — and  it  was  "true," — the  unerring  and 
unadulterated  truth  of  God.  He  could  say,  in  the  language  of 
the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  "We  are  not  as  many  who  corrupt 
the  Word  of  God:" — "We  have  renounced  the  hidden  things  of 
dishonesty,  not  walking  in  craftiness,  nor  handling  the  Avord  of 
God  deceitfully,  but,  by  manifestation  of  the  truth,  commending 
ourselves  to  every  man's  conscience,  in  the  sight  of  God."  2  Cor. 
ii.  17.  iv.  2. — Although  Paul,  lest  his  success  among  the  Greeks 
should  be  imputed  to  his  artificial  eloquence,  and  not  to  the  power 
of  the  truth  and  Spirit  of  God,  avoided  the  studied  arts  of  Grecian 


ECCLESIASTEH   Xll.    8-14.  411 

rhetoric, — the  "enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom;"  yet,  doubtless 
he  also,  like  Solomon,  "sought  to  find  out  acceptable  words," — 
all  the  modes  of  earnest  and  faithful,  but  insinuating  and  winning, 
persuasion.  He  who  "warned  sinners,  night  and  day,  with  tears/' 
— he  who  "prayed  and  besought  men,  in  Christ's  stead,  to  be  rc- 
<;onciled  unto  God," — would,  without  question,  shun  every  thing, 
in  speech  and  in  manner,  that  could  be  needlessly  irritating  and 
repulsive. 

The  nature  and  design  of  the  preacher's  instructions  are  stated  in 

Verse  11.  The  loords  of  the  tcisc  are  as  goads,  and  as  ludls  fast- 
ened by  the  masters  of  assemblies,  which  are  given  from  one  sheplierd. 

They  are  "as  goads."  The  meaning  of  this  is  sufficiently  ob- 
vious. The  goad  was  a  staff  with  a  sharp  point  of  iron,  used  for 
stimulating  oxen,  and  quickening  their  pace,  when  engaged  in 
drawing  the  plough,  or  in  other  labor.  Thus  "tlie  words  of  the 
wise"  are  intended  to  be  excitements  to  the  service  of  God:  to 
stir  up  to  increased  activity  such  as  are  already  employed  in  it ; 
and  to  rouse  others  from  their  thoughtless  lethargy,  to  "  prick 
them  in  their  hearts,"  to  excite  them  to  inquiry  respecting  their 
best  interests,  and  to  animate  them  to  press,  through  all  opposi- 
tion and  difficulty,  into  the  ways  of  God. 

The  latter  part  of  the  verse  is  not  so  plain ;  and  various  have 
been  the  proposed  renderings  and  explanations  of  it.=*=  It  may  be 
observed,  that  the  word  "fastened"  does  not,  in  the  original  lan- 
guage, agree  in  gender  with  "nails,"  Imt  with  "the  words  of  the 
wise ;"t  and  the  whole  verse  may  perhaps  be  thus  rendered:— 
"The  words  of  the  wise,  which  are  as  goads,  and  fastened  deeply 
as  nails  by  the  masters  of  assemblies,  are  given  from  one  shej)herd." 

"The  words  of  the  wise"  are  the  words  of  Solomon  liimself, 
and  of  those  other  "holy  men  of  God,"  who  "spoke  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit."  We  have  seen  why  they  are  com- 
pared to  goads.  They  are  further  said  to  be  "  fastened  deeply  as 
jiails  by  the  masters  of  assemblies."  They  are  explained  to  the 
understanding,  applied  to  the  conscience,  driven  home  to  the  heart, 
and  fixed  in  the  memories,  of  their  hearers,  by  the  public  teaciiers 
of  the  people.— There  may,  perhaps,  be  a  special  reference  to  such 
short  comprehensive  sayings  as  the  Proverbs,  (verse  9,)  which  are 


*6ee  Dathius,  Van  der  Palm,  and  Hodgson,  on  the  verse;  and  Parkhurst'i 
Lexicon,  on  the  word  10 IT-  +  I^o^tli. 


412  LECTURE    XXIII. 

fitted  to  make  a  deep  and  abiding  impresssion  on  the  mind,  and 
to  be  easily  kept  in  remembrance.  Like  nails  they  are  at  once 
sharp,  and  take  a  firm  hold. 

And  these  words  of  the  wise  ''are  given  from  one  shepherd.'* 
Can  there  be  any  hesitation  about  the  meaning  of  this?  The 
"Shepherd  of  Israel,  who  guided  Joseph  like  a  flock, — he  that 
dwelt  between  the  cherubim," — He  is  the  original  giver  of  all  the 
words  of  inspired  wisdom.  The  subordinate  shepherds,  the  di- 
vinely commissioned  teachers  and  guides,  were  many;  but  they 
received  all  their  communications  from  Him.  The  designation  is 
most  frequently  applied  in  the  Scriptures  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christy 
the  Divine  Messiah.*  And  as  He,  the  second  Person  of  the 
blessed  Trinity,  is  represented  as  having  from  the  beginning  had 
the  immediate  conduct  of  the  whole  scheme  of  redemption,  it  is 
likely  that  we  should  understand  the  words  before  us  of  Him. 
The  prophets,  who  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  was  to  come  unto 
the  church  in  the  fulness  of  time,  "  inquired  and  investigated  dili- 
gently,— searching  what  or  what  manner  of  time  the  spirit  of 
Christ  which  was  in  them  did  signify,  when  it  testified  before- 
hand the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should  follow. 
Unto  whom,"  says  the  apostle  Peter,  "  it  was  revealed,  that  not 
unto  themselves,  but  unto  us,  they  did  minister  the  things  which 
are  now  reported  unto  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down 
from  heaven."  1  Peter  i.  11,  12.  Thus  the  Spirit  that  spoke  by 
the  prophets  and  by  the  apostles  is  the  same.  The  words  of  the 
wise  are  "the  true  sayings  of  God;"  to  be  received  by  us  as  such, 
with  humble  reverence,  lively  gratitude,  constant  remembrance, 
and  prompt  and  universal  obedience. 

Verse  12.  And  further,  by  these,  my  son,  be  admonished;  of 
making  many  books  there  is  no  end,  and  much  study  is  a  weariness 
of  the  flesh. 

"My  son:" — This  is  the  same  style  of  address  witli  that  used 
by  Solomon  in  the  book  of  Proverbs.  He  is  not,  T  think,  to  be 
understood  as  directing  his  discourse  expressly  and  exclusively  to 
Rehoboam,  but  in  general  to  his  reader,  whosoever  he  might  be. 
It  is  the  address  of  an  old  man^  and  the  expression  of  an  affection- 
ate heart.     Solomon  uses  it  in  the  same  spirit  with  the  venerable 


*Compare  Psalm  xxiii.  1.   Isa.  xl.  10,  11.   Ezek.  xxxiv.  23.   John  x.  1 
Heb.  xiii.  20.  1  Pet.  v.  4. 


ECCLESIASTEK    XII.    8-14.  413 

upostle  John,  when  he  writes  to  the  disciples  of  Christ,  in  his 
advanced  age,  as  his  little  children: — "My  little  children,  these 
things  write  I  unto  yon,  that  ye  sin  not." 

'^ By  these,  my  son,  be  admonished."  This  may  mean,  either, 
by  "the  words  of  the  wise"  in  general,  mentioned  in  the  eleventh 
verse,  or  more  particularly,  by  the  words  of  wisdom  contained  in 
the  book  which  he  was  just  bringing  to  a  close. 

In  the  latter  view  of  the  verse  it  may  be  thus  paraplirased : — 
"Receive,  my  son,  the  admonitions  conveyed  in  this  brief  review 
of  the  vanity  of  life.  *0f  making  many  books  there  is  no  end, 
and  much  study  is  a  weariness  to  the  flesh.'  A  vast  deal  more 
might  be  written.  I  might  multiply  treatises.  The  subject,  in 
connection  with  others  that  are  related  to  it,  is  inexhaustible. 
But  ^of  making  many  books  there  is  no  end.'  I  need  not  set 
myself  to  the  endless  task.  By  these,  my  son,  be  admonished.  I 
have  said  enough  for  your  conviction  and  warning.  Receive  the 
instruction,  and  be  wise.  I  might  write,  till  the  study  of  what 
was  written  would  be  a  weariness  to  the  flesh.  But  there  is  no 
need.     Let  what  I  have  written  sufiice." 

In  the  former  view,  thus: — "My  son,  I  have  written  much, 
and  I  have  studied  more.  Many  a  time  have  I  worn  out  my 
bodily  strength,  in  my  researches  into  the  Morks  of  nature  and  of 
art, — into  all  the  subjects  that  occupy  human  investigation.  Of 
such  pursuits  and  labor  I  find  there  is  no  end :  and  however 
agreeable  and  however  profitable  they  may  in  some  respects  be, 
and  however  worthy  of  a  share  of  thy  attention, — yet  let  me,  above 
all  things,  direct  you  to  'the  words  of  the  wise,' — to  the  writings 
of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  to  the  'lively  oracles'  given  through 
them  by  the  one  Shepherd,  the  God  of  Israel.  By  these,  my  son, 
be  admonished: — make  these  the  men  of  thy  counsel, — thine  in- 
structors, thy  guides,  thy  reprovers,  thy  comforters.  From  other 
works  you  may  receive  entertainment,  and,  by  hard  and  Avearisome 
study,  extensive,  and,  it  may  be,  useful  information.  But  these 
alone  can  make  you  truly  wise,  wise  from  above,  wise  unto  salva- 
tion:— 'The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul:  the 
testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure,  making  wise  the  simple:  the  stat- 
utes of  the  Lord  are  right,  rejoicing  the  heart:  the  commandment 
of  the  Lord  is  pure,  enlightening  the  eyes:  the  fear  of  the  Lord 
is  clean,  enduring  for  ever:   the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  true 


414  LECTURE  XXIII. 

and  righteous  altogether.  More  to  be  desired  are  they  than  gold^ 
yea,  than  much  fine  gold ;  sweeter  also  than  honey,  and  the  honey- 
comb.'" Psalm  xix.  7-10. 

He  then  proceeds  to  sum  up  the  whole  in  a  single  weighty  sen- 
tence, one  of  "  the  words  of  the  wise :" — 

Verses  13,  14.  Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter: 
Fear  God,  atid  keep  his  commandments;  for  this  is  the  whole  duty 
of  man.  For  God  shall  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  inith  every 
secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil. 

"Fear  God,  and  keep  his  commandments." — These  words  ex- 
press a  principle,  along  with  the  conduct  which  natively  flows 
from  it,  and  is  the  evidence  of  its  existence.  The  Fear  of  God 
comprehends  in  it  all  the  gracious  aifections  of  the  soul  towardL< 
Him,  which  are  produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  ought  to  be 
cherished  under  his  supplicated  influence; — holy  awe  of  his  infinite 
majesty,  his  spotless  purity,  and  inflexible  justice, — fervent  grati- 
tude for  his  goodness  and  mercy, — confidence  in  his  wisdom, 
power,  and  faithfulness, — implicit  submission  to  his  sovereign 
will, — and  supreme  delight  in  his  entire  character. — The  fear  of 
God  is  founded  in  the  knowledge  of  what  he  has  revealed  himself 
to  be;  and  it  is  not  only  inseparable  from  love,  but  invariably 
proportioned  to  it  in  degree.  There  may  be  terror  where  there  is 
no  love;  nay,  where  there  is  deep-felt  and  inveterate  hatred.  But 
this  is  as  different  from  the  gracious  fear  of  God,  as  the  trembling 
of  a  slave  who  detests  his  master,  but  feels  himself  to  be  in  his 
power  and  at  his  mercy,  is  different  from  the  filial  reverence  of 
an  affectionate  and  ingenuous  child,  who,  in  proportion  as  he  loves 
his  father,  dreads  incurring  his  displeasure,  and  is  made  unhappy 
by  a  single  word  or  look  of  disapprobation.  It  is  the  thought  of 
his  parent's  anger,  not  the  pain  of  correction,  that  grieves  the 
spirit  of  such  a  child;  and  the  agony  of  that  thought  is  exactly 
according  to  the  intensity  and  tenderness  of  his  affection. 

The  fear  of  God,  accordingly,  is,  in  Scripture,  generally  put 
for  the  whole  of  true  religion  in  the  heart,  and  is,  not  unfrequently, 
inclusive  also  of  its  practical  results  in  the  life.  Those  who 
^'  fear  God,"  and  those  who  have  "  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes," 
are  the  two  great  descriptions  of  mankind.  Wherever  the  fear 
of  God  exists  in  the  heart,  there  will  follow  the  keeping  of  his 
commandments  in  the  life ;  and  it  is  from  the  latter  that  we  are 


ECCLESrAST>S  XII.   8-14.  415 

to  judge  of  the  former.  God's  name  is  not  feared,  when  las  com- 
mandments are  not  obeyed.  Practice  is  the  test  of  principle, — 
the  only  sure  criterion  of  all  profession.  It  is  the  two  together 
that  constitute  true  religion.  The  heart  must  be  "  right  with  God," 
and  the  life  must  prove  its  rectitude.  "The  fear  of  the  Lord,  that 
is  wisdom;  and  to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding:" — "The 
fear  of  the  Lord,  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom;  a  good  understand- 
ing have  all  they  that  do  his  commandments."  Job.  xxviii.  28. 
Psalm  cxi.  10. 

"This  is  the  whole  duty  of  man." — The  word  duty  is  in  this 
translation  supplementary.  The  expression  in  the  original — "This 
is  the  whole  of  man" — has  not,  that  I  am  aware  of,  any  parallels 
by  which  it  might  be  illustrated.  The  supplement  of  the  word 
duty  destroys  its  evidently  designed  comprehensiveness.  It  is  not 
only  the  Mdiole  duty,  but  the  whole  honor,  and  interest,  and  happi- 
ness of  man.  And  as  happiness  is  the  chief  subject  of  the  treatise,, 
it  might,  perhaps,  be  a  more  appropriate  supplement  than  the  other. 
It  is  true  indeed,  inferentially — invariably  true — that  the  duty  of 
man  is  his  happiness;  that  the  latter  is  inseparably  associated  with 
the  former.  But  may  not  this  be  the  very  sentiment  Avhich  Solo- 
mon intended  to  convey?  The  duty  is  expressed,  and  tlie  happi- 
ness inferred.  He  sums  up  duty,  in  its  principle  and  practice,, 
and  declares  the  fulfilment  of  this  summary  to  constitute  the  whole 
happiness  of- man.  That  which  men,  in  ten  tiiousand  ways,  seek 
in  vain — all  their  pursuits  terminating  in  "vanity  and  vexation 
of  spirit" — this  is  the  short  and  infallible  way  to  find.  True  re- 
ligion— the  fear  and  service  of  God — is  the  honor  and  the  happi- 
ness of  man  in  the  present  life;. and  what  is  infinitely  more,  it 
embraces  his  entire  existence  as  an  immortal  being,  and  secures 
■  his  honor  and  happiness  for  the  life  to  come.  The  honor  and  the 
happiness  of  such  a  being  can  never  be  truly  estimated  without 
viewing  him  in  his  relation  to  eternity.  A  life  of  true  religion  i.s 
the  only  life  that  yields  present  enjoyment  worthy  of  his  spiritual 
and  deathless  nature;  audit  is  the  only  life  that  can  ever  end 
WELL.  "Fear  God,  and  keep  his  commandments;  for  this  is 
ALL  THAT  CONCERNETH  MAN  " — is  a  sentiment  that  will  be  seen 
and  felt  in  all  its  truth  and  importance,  in  that  solemn  day,  that 
shall  wind  up  and  close  the  eventful  history  of  our  world,  and  fix,. 


416  LECTURE   xxiir, 

by  an  irrepealable  sentence,  the  eternal  destiny  of  every  child  of 
Adam : — ' 

"For  God  shall  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  every 
secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it  be  evil." 

The  certainty  of  this  event  is  ascertained  by  all  the  evidence 
that  establishes  the  Divine  authority  of  the  Bible; — it  is  confirmed 
by  the  secret  intimations  of  conscience;  and  by  all  the  present 
irregularities,  otherwise  so  unaccountable,  in  the  Divine  adminis- 
tration towards  the  children  of  men. — The  solemnity  of  the  event  is 
unspeakable : — the  assembling  of  all  the  millions  of  mankind  that 
shall  ever  have  existed,  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  time, 
before  the  tribunal  of  the  universal  Sovereign! — when  "the 
heavens  shall  pass  away  with  a  great  noise,  and  the  elements  shall 
melt  with  fervent  heat;  the  earth  also,  and  the  w^orks  that  are 
therein,  shall  be  burnt  up."  2  Peter  iii.  10. — "I  saw  a  great  white 
throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it,  from  whose  face  the  earth  and  the 
heaven  fled  away,  and  there  was  found  no  place  for  them.  And 
I  saw  the  dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God.  And  the 
books  were  opened ;  and  another  book  was  opened,  which  is  the 
book  of  life :  and  the  dead  were  judged  out  of  those  things  which 
were  written  in  the  books,  according  to  their  works."  Rev.  xx. 
11,  12. 

"Every  work"  and  "every  secret  thing"  shall  then  be  "brought 
into  judgment:" — all  the  doings  of  men,  however  private,  how- 
ever anxiously  concealed  from  their  fellow-creatures,  performed 
in  the  .dead  of  night,  and  far  from  any  human  eye ; — and  all  their 
thoughts,  and  desires,  and  purposes,  though  studiously  kept  with- 
in their  bosoms,  and  never  whispered  to  human  ear.  Nothing- 
shall  escape  detection  and  disclosure.  The  eye  of  omniscience 
having  witnessed  all,  and  the  Mind  that  embraces  jjresent,  past, 
and  future  with  equal  minuteness  and  equal  certainty,  having  re- 
tained all;  the  sentence  pronounced  on  each  individual  will  be 
founded  in  a  complete  and  unerring  knowledge  of  all  that  he  has 
been,  and  of  all  that  he  has  done.  This  is  probably  all  that  is 
meant  by  God's  "bringing  every  work  into  judgment."  There 
will  be  such  a  development  of  character,  as  shall  justify  the  Su- 
preme Judge,  and  the  judgments  he  pronounces  and  executes,  in 
the  consciences  of  the  condemned  ;  and  certify  his  unimpeachable 
righteousness  to  angels  and  men:  but  there  seems  no  necessity 


ECCLESIASTES    XII.    8-14.  417 

for  supposing-  a  public  discovery  of  every  deed,  and  word,  and 
(thought,  of  every  individual  of  the  myriads  before  the  judgment- 
seat. 

The  Scriptures  assure  us,  that  tlie  Lord  -Jesus  Christ  is  to  oc- 
cupy, on  that  day,  the  throne  of  universal  judgment: — "the  throne 
of  his  glory:"*  and  the  language  of  the  prophet,  in  prospect  of 
the  first  coming  of  the  Son  of  God,  may,  in  all  its  emphasis,  be  ap- 


plied to  his  second:  "But  who  may  abide  the  day  of  liis  coming? 
and  who  shall  stand  when  He  appearetli?"  Mai.  iii.  2.  What  an- 
swer shall  we  give  to  this  solemn  enquiry?  Shall  none  stand? — 
Yes:  there  shall  "stand  before  the  throne  and  before  the  Lamb  a 
great  multitude  which  no  man  can  number,  out  of  all  nations,  and 
kindreds,  and  peoples,  and  tongues,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and 
palms  in  their  hands,  and  shall  sing  with  a  loud  voice, — Salvation 
unto  our  God  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb !" 
Rev.  vii.  9,  10.  And  this  multitude  shall  consist  of  those  who 
had  sustained  while  on  earth  a  certain  character.  That  character 
is  now  before  us,  in  the  text;  they  shall  all  be  such  as  "feared 
God  and  kept  his  commandments."  "The  ungodly  shall  not 
stand  in  the  judgment,  nor  sinners  in  the  congregation  of  the 
righteous:  for  the  Lord  knoweth  the  way  of  the  righteous,  but 
the  way  of  the  ungodly  shall  perish."  Psalm  i.  o,  6. 

It  is  necessary,  ho^v•ever,  to  remind  you,  that  the  true  fear  of 
God,  and  the  obedience  thence  resulting,  must  be  founded  in  the 
faith  of  that  testimony  concerning  himself  which  he  has  given  us 
in  his  Word.  Nothing  can  be  more  manifest,  than  that,  if  God 
has  revealed  himself  to  sinners,  and  calls  upon  them  to  fear  him, 
he  means  that  he  should  be  feared  in  the  character  in  which  he  is 
revealed.  The  man  who,  with  that  revelation  in  his  hand,  pro- 
fesses to  fear  and  to  obey  God  on  other  terms  than  those  which  it 
prescribes,  instead  of  honoring,  insults  him, — instead  of  ottering 
an  acceptable  service,  presents  what  He  must  reject  with  indigna- 
tion. \yhen  God  makes  himself  known  to  sinners,  he  makes  him- 
self known  in  a  character  corresponding  to  their  condition.  It  is 
to  men  as  sinners  that  the  Bible  is  addressed.  If  they  do  not  read 
it  in  the  remembrance  of  this,  they  cannot  understand  it ;  for  the 
meaning  and  appropriateness  of  any  communication  must  depend 


■"- See  John  V.  22-17.    Acts  x vii.  30,  31.    x.  42.    Matt.  xxv.  31-46.    2  Cor. 
V.  10,  &c. 
27 


418  LECTURE    XXIII. 

on  the  character,  and  circumstances,  and  consequent  needs,  of 
those  to  Avhoni  it  is  made.  As  sinners,  men  need  salvation.  In 
the  Bible,  accordingly,  God  appears  as  "the  God  of  salvation;" 
and  to  "show  unto  men  the  way  of  salvation,"  is  its  principal, — 
nay,  I  might  almost  say,  taking  salvation  in  the  most  enlarged 
sense  of  the  term, — its  exclusive  design.  It  follows,  that  no  sin- 
ner can  be  considered  as  truly  fearing  God,  till  he  has  recognized 
him  in  this  relation,  and  distinctly  and  fully  acquiesced  in  that 
w^ay  of  salvation,  or  those  proposals  of  mercy,  which  he  has  been 
graciously  pleased  to  reveal.  The  first  expression  of  the  genuine 
fear  of  God  on  the  part  of  a  fallen  creature,  is  the  prayer  of  the 
publican,  uttered  in  the  publican's  frame  of  spirit,  "God,  be  merci- 
ful to  me  a  sinner !" — A  self-righteous  sinner  is  the  strangest,  the 
most  anomalous,  and  self-contradictory  of  all  characters.  That 
sinner  shows  that  he  has  no  right  conceptions,  no  becoming  im- 
pressions, of  the  purity  and  justice  of  his  offended  Maker — that 
there  is  "no  true  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes" — who  presumes  to 
think  that  he  can  justify  himself  in  His  presence.  Before  man 
had  sinned,  it  was  the  law  or  authoritative  appointment  of  God, 
that  he  should  hold  his  life  of  original  blessedness  on  the  condition 
of  his  continued  innocence.  But  the  moment  man  fell,  and  be- 
came a  sinner,  his  case  was  necessarily  altered;  and  it  is  now 
equally  the  law  or  authoritative  appointment  of  God,  that,  as  a 
sinner,  he  must  owe  his  forgiveness  and  happiness  to  sovereign 
grace  and  mercy,  through  faith  in  a  Mediator.  The  reception 
given  to  the  offers  of  a  free  salvation  is  now  the  test  of  loyalty 
or  rebellion.  That  man  retains  in  his  bosom  the  spirit  of  a  rebel, 
who  persists  in  attempting  what  God  has  declared  impossible,  and 
in  flattering  himself  he  can  want  what  God  has  pronounced  in- 
dispensable; who  flies  in  the  face  of  his  most  explicit  assurances, 
that  "by  the  works  of  the  law  no  flesh  living  shall  be  justified," 
and  still  "goes  about  to  establish  his  own  righteousness;  who 
puts  in  his  claim  for  right,  when  he  should  present  his  petition 
for  favor ;  who,  openly  or  secretly,  in  words  or  in  heart,  inserts 
his  own  name  into  that  plea,  from  which  the  most  High  has  ex- 
cluded every  name  in  or  under  heaven,  but  the  name  of  his  Son; 
who  professes  to  seek  the  favor  of  God  by  "keeping  his  com- 
mandments," and  forgets  that  "this  is  his  commandment" — 
and,  to  a  sinful  creature,  necessarily  the  first  of  all  his  command- 
ments— "  that  he  believe  on  the  name  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ." 


ECCLESIASTES   XII.    8-14.  419 

Xo  true  obedience,  besides,  can  be  rendered  to  the  Divine  com- 
mandments, so  long  as  the  heart  continues  estranged  from  God, 
and  in  its  natural  state  of  enmity  against  him :— and  tliis  enmity 
is  slain  only  by  the  cross.  The  fear  and  the  love  of  God  take 
possession  of  the  sinner's  heart  together,  when,  feeling  his  sinful- 
ness and  condemnation,  he  flees  thither  for  safety ;  beholds  tliere 
"  mercy  and  truth  meeting  together,  righteousness  and  peace  em- 
bracing each  other;"  justice  and  grace  revealed  with  equal  honor 
in  the  sufferings  of  the  appointed  Surety;  "good-will  to  men" 
in  union  with  "glory  to  God."  Tiio  believing  contemplation  of 
these  Divine  harmonies  at  once  penetrates  with  aM'e  and  melts  with 
love: — and  the  sinner,  relieved  from  slavish  terror,  and  renewed 
in  rhe  spirit  of  his  mind,  "runs  in  the  way  of  God's  command- 
ments." Fear  restrains  him  from  evil,  and  love  incites  him  to 
good. 

1.  AlloAV  me,  then,  in  improving  our  exposition  of  these  verses, 
in  the  first  place,  most  earnestly  to  entreat  you  all,  to  give  attention 
to  "the  words  of  the  wise." — The  holy  Scriptures  are  the  records 
of  Divine  wisdom.  They  are  very  various;  and  they  arc  all 
profitable.  No  knowledge,  no  wisdom,  can  be  compared  Avith 
that  which  they  reveal.  The  treasures  of  the  mind  of  Deity  are 
laid  open  here.  Things  are  made  known  which  "eye  had  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  and  which  it  had  not  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man  to  conceive."  Here,  and  here  alone,  are  "the  words  of 
eternal  life."  It  is  not  to  the  philosophers  of  this  world  that 
your  attention  is  now  invited.  Their  researches  in  the  various 
sciences,  the  sciences  both  of  matter  and  of  mind,  we  wish  not  to 
undervalue.  In  their  subjects,  these  sciences  are  rational  and 
dignified;  in  their  discoveries,  speculations,  and  reasonings,  they 
are  often  interesting,  elegant  and  instructive;  and  in  many  of 
their  results,  in  their  application  to  the  purposes  of  human  life, 
they  are,  in  no  small  degree,  useful.  But,  in  religion  and  morals, 
the  only  safe  instructors  are  those  who  received  their  lessons  from 
God  himself.  All  others  are  "blind  guides,"  who  "professing 
themselves  to  be  wise,  have  become  fools." — "Where  is  the  wise? 
where  is  the  scribe?  where  is  the  disputer  of  this  world?  Hath 
not  God  made  foolish  the  wisdom  of  this  world.  For  after  that, 
in  the  wisdom  of  God,  the  world,  by  wisdom,  knew  not  God,  it 
pleased  God,  by  the  foolishness  of  preaching,  to  save  them  that 
believe.     For  the  Jews  require  a  sign,  and  the  Greeks  seek  after 


420  LECTUKE   xxiir. 

wisdom;  but  we,"  (says  one  of  those  whom  God  commissioned  to 
''destroy  the  wisdom  of  the  wise,  and  to  bring  to  nothing  the 
understanding  of  the  prudent,") — "we  preach  Christ  crucified, 
to  tlie  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  to  the  Greeks  foolishness,  but 
unto  them  that  are  called,  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power 
of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God.  Because  the  foolishness  of  God 
is  wiser  than  men,  and  the  weakness  of  God  is  stronger  than  men." 
1  Cor.  i.  20-25.  The  gospel  of  Christ  is,  with  peculiar  emphasis, 
denominated  "the  wisdom  of  God,"  being  the  most  astonishing, 
and  to  us  the  most  deeply  interesting,  of  all  the  exertions  and 
discoveries  of  Divine  intelligence.  The  mechanical  skill,  displayed 
in  the  works  of  nature,  marvellous  as  it  is,  must  yield  in  excel- 
lence to  what  may  be  termed  the  moral  wisdom  of  the  scheme  of 
grace.  The  goodness  visible  in  creation  is  transcendently  sur- 
passed by  the  mercy  manifested  in  redemption.  It  is  the  knowl- 
edge of  this  discovery  of  God,  that  constitutes  the  most  valuable 
wisdom.  An  acquaintance  with  all  his  other  works,  throughout 
the  entire  range  of  nature,  supposing  it  attainable,  could  not 
countervail  the  ignorance  of  this.  It  would  raise  its  possessor, 
indeed,  to  an  elevation  incomparably  higher  amongst  his  fellow- 
men  ;  it  would  place  his  name  first  in  the  lists  of  scientific  emi- 
nence, and  transmit  it  for  the  M^onder  and  applause  of  future 
generations.  But  it  would  not  procure  him,  what  the  wisest  as 
well  as  the  weakest  requires,  the  pardoning  mercy  of  God,  and 
eternal  life.  There  is  only  one  description  of  knowledge  with 
which  these  are  associated,  and  the  weakest  possessor  of  that 
knowledge  is  wiser  than  the  wisest  who  is  without  it.  Despised 
by  men,  it  is  highly  esteemed  with  God.  Excluded  from  human 
philosophy;  and  the  possession  of  it,  so  fiir  from  being  reckoned 
amongst  the  requisites  of  a  man  of  science,  exposing  him  to  derision, 
rather  than  procuring  him  honor ;  it  is  the  philosophy  of  the  Bible ; 
it  is  the  philosophy  of  heaven : — "These  things  the  angels  desire  to 
look  into." — O  despise  not,  then,  those  "words  of  the  wise,"  which 
declare  the  "faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that 
Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  Avorld,  to  save  sinners."  Despise  not 
the  words  of  this  heavenly  teacher  himself,  who  is  the  A^isdom 
and  the  Word  of  God,  on  whom  the  Spirit  was  poured  without 
measure,  and  who  "spoke  as  never  man  spoke."  Let  his  sayings 
sink  deep  into  your  ears.     Receive  them  with  meekness,  and  re- 


ECCLESIASTES    Xll.    8-1-4.  421 

tain  them  with  faith  and  love.  Keep  theiu,  ibr  they  are  your 
life. — "As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up;  that  whosoever  belicveth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life.  For  God  so  love(J 
the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  Mhosoever 
believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.  For 
God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world ;  but 
that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved.  He  that  believeth 
on  him  is  not  condemned  :  but  he  that  believeth  not  is  condemned 
already,  because  he  hath  not  believed  in  the  name  of  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God.  And  this  is  the  condemnation,  that  light 
is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light, 
because  their  deeds  were  evil." — "All  things  are  delivered  unto 
me  of  my  Father:  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Son,  but  the  Father; 
neither  knoweth  any  man  the  Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to 
whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him.  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my 
yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  of  me;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart:  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For  ray  yoke  is 
easy  and  my  burden  is  light." — "  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  1 
know  them,  and  they  follow  me:  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal 
life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them 
out  of  my  hand.  My  Father,  who  gave  them  me,  is  greater  than 
all;  and  none  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.  I 
and  ray  Father  are  one." — "I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life: 
he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live: 
and  whosoever  liveth,  and  believeth  in  me,  shall  never  die." 
John  iii.  14-19.  Matt.  xi.  27-30.  John  x.  27-30.  xi.  25,  26.  O 
that  these  words  of  "a  greater  than  Solomon,"  may  be  esteemed 
by  you,  as  they  truly  are,  words  of  wisdom,  and  not  contemned 
as  foolishness!  May  they  be  "as  goads,"  "pricking  you  in  your 
hearts,"  piercing  your  consciences  with  a  sense  of  sin  and  danger, 
and  urging  you  forward  to  the  only  Saviour!  May  the  great 
"master  of  assemblies"  himself  "fasten  them  as  nails,"— giving 
them  a  deep,  an  abiding,  a  salutary  and  saving  impression,  in 
every  heart! 

2.  Secondly;  Ye  who  have  "tasted  that  the  Lord  is  gracious," 
who  have  felt  the  value  of  the  word  of  God,  and  have  learned  to 
"count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge" 


422  LECTUEE  xxiir. 

which  it  contains, — who  have  known  in  your  experience  that  to 
"fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments"  is  the  whole  happiness 
of  man,  and  are  satisfied  that  it  is  his  highest  honor, — be  encour- 
aged to  persevere  unto  the  end.  Prize  more  and  more  highly 
"the  words  of  the  wise."  "Search  the  Scriptures."  Believe  the 
truths;  rejoice  in  the  promises;  practise  the  precepts,  of  this  blessed 
book.  "Be  ye  steadfast,  unmoveable,  always  abounding  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord."  Keep  in  your  view  the  solemnities  of  a 
coming  judgment:  and  whilst  your  hopes  of  acceptance  at  that 
day  are  founded  exclusively  in  "grace  reigning  through  rigliteous- 
ness  unto  eternal  life,  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord/'  forget  not  the 
obligations  under  which  you  lie  to  "glorify  God  in  your  bodies 
and  in  your  spirits,  which  are  his."  Remember,  the  master  whom 
you  serve  has  said  to  you,  respecting  whatever  talents  he  has  in- 
trusted to  your  management,  "Occupy  till  I  come."  Use  them 
not,  then,  for  sinful  or  selfish  ends ;  wrap  them  not  in  a  napkin ; 
but  employ  them  with  diligence  for  the  honor  of  his  name  and 
the  interest  of  his  cause;  that  when  he  comes  to  take  account  of 
your  stewardship,  lie  may  own  you  with  his  approving  sentence, 
"Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant; — enter  thou  into  the  joy 
of  thy  Lord." 

Let  not  the  vanities  of  the  world  seduce  you  from  the  possession 
and  the  pursuit  of  better  and  more  enduring  joys.  Let  the  lesson 
that  "all  is  vanity,"  be  imprinted  on  your  minds,  as  a  truth 
affirmed  by  God,  and  attested  by  the  unvarying  experience  of 
men.  Let  nothing  tempt  you  to  repeat  Solomon's  unwise  experi- 
ment; but  rest  satisfied,  and  act  upon  the  assurance,  that  the  re- 
sult would  be  to  you  the  same  as  it  was  to  him.  "Cleave  to  the 
Lord  with  purpose  of  heart."  Let  him  be,  to  the  end,  "the 
portion  of  your  inheritance  and  of  your  cup."  Still  "fear  God, 
and  keep  his  commandments ;"  and  you  will  increasingly  experi- 
ence while  here,  and  fully  know  hereafter,  that  "this  is  the  whole" 
happiness,  and  honor,  and  interest,  "of  man,"  for  time,  and  for 
eternity. 

Lastly.  It  ought  to  be  our  desire  and  aim  mIio  profess  to  be 
servants  of  God  in  the  ministry  of  the  Word,  to  make  that  word 
the  exclusive  standard  of  all  our  instructions,  and  to  present  and 
recommend  these  instructions  with  the  same  end  in  view,  as  to 
our  hearers,  with  that  for  which  they  are  given  to  us  of  God.     It 


ECCLESIASTES  XII.   8-14.  423 

is  our  duty  to  "speak  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but 
the  truth,"  with  a  single  eve  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  best  in- 
terests of  men: — "To  the  law,  and  to  the  testimony:  if  we  speak 
not  according  to  this  word,  there  is  no  light  in  us ;" — and  if  we 
declare  the  truths  of  this  Word  for  selfish  and  unworthy  pui^oses, 
the  blessed  Author  of  it  may  give  these  truths  efficacy  for  the  sal- 
vation of  others,  but  our  service  he  will  disown: — he  may  save 
the  hearer,  but  he  will  reject  the  preacher.  * 

I  have  endeavored  to  set  before  you,  and  to  press  upon  your 
serious  attention,  the  doctrine  taught,  and  the  conduct  recom- 
mended and  enjoined,  in  this  interesting  portion  of  the  sacred 
volume,  I  hope  with  a  sincere  desire  to  promote  the  honor  of  my 
Master,  and  the  present  and  future  benefit  of  my  hearers.  But 
whatever  may  have  been  the  motives  and  aims  of  the  preacher,  of 
one  thing  be  ye  confidently  assured,  that  in  all  that  he  has  re- 
vealed— in  every  doctrine,  every  precept,  every  promise,  every 
warning,  every  threatening — the  Divine  Author  of  the  Bible  has 
your  good  invariably  in  view.  By  what  else,  indeed,  could  He 
be  influenced? — To  his  doctrines  does  he  not  graciously  subjoin, — 
Believe,  and  live  ?  Where  amongst  his  precepts  is  the  one  that  is 
not  fitted  to  promote  the  well-being  of  him  that  keeps  if?  His 
jyromises! — are  they  not  "exceeding  great  and  precious?"  What 
is  the  sum  of  all  his  learnings,  but — Do  thyself  no  harm?  And 
even  his  threatenings, — the  most  tremendous  declarations  of  the 
coming  svrath, — are  they  not  the  utterance  of  mercy? — of  that 
mercy  that  is  "  not  willing  that  any  should  perish,"  and  that  "has 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth?"  What  is  the  lan- 
guage of  every  one  of  them,  coming  from  the  very  heart  of  that 
infinite  Being  who  "delighteth  in  mercy?"  Is  it  not, — "Escape 
for  thy  life!"— "Flee  from  the  wrath  to  come!"— "Turn  ye,  turn 
ye,  for  why  will  ye  die?" 

Are  not  the  two  great  lessons  of  that  book  of  which  we  are  now 
closing  our  review,  lessons  dictated  by  the  love  of  a  benevolent 
God?  Why  does  he  record  in  his  A^^ord,  and  urge  upon  your  at- 
tention, the  assurance  that  "all  is  vanity,"  but  to  keep  you  from 
deceiving  yourselves,  where  deception  would  be  your  ruin? — Why 
does  he  exhibit  the  emptiness  of  the  shadow,  but  to  induce  you 
to  lay  hold  on  the  substance?— Why  does  he  warn  you  away  from 
the  "streams  of  false  delight,"  but  to  conduct  you  to  the  fountain 


424  LECTURE    XXIII. 

of  unmiugled  and  eternal  joy? — Be  assured,  every  one  of  you, 
that  all  the  contents  of  his  Word  are  in  harmony  with  the  kind- 
ness of  his  heart: — that  he  makes  nothing  your  duty  which  you 
will  not  find  to  be  at  the  same  time  your  interest: — and  under 
this  conviction,  hear  again  "the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter/' 
the  comprehensive  summary  of  these  "words  of  the  wise"  to  which 
we  have  been  attending — the  aim  of  the  writer  from  the  beginning 
to  the  close  of  his  treatise — the  end  to  which  he  meant  all  his 
details  to  lead — the  grand  lesson  which  the  whole  were  intended 
to  teach  and  to  impress : — may  it  be  graven  in  indelible  characters 
on  all  your  hearts ;  and  may  the  God  by  whose  authority  it  comes, 
give  you  to  enjoy  the  full  experience  of  its  truth! — "fear  God, 

AND  KEEP  HIS  COMMANDMENTS:  FOR  THIS  IS  ALL  THAT  CON- 
CERNETH  MAN !" 


END  OF  THE  LECTURES  ON  ECCLESIASTES 


THE  CHRISTIANA'S  HOF»P: 

OF 
CHRTS^T'S  SECOND  COMING. 


[E.rtrcwted  from  Dr.  Wardlaw's  Discow-ses  on  the  Prlnnpal  PohifM  of  tlte 
Rodninn  Controvert)/.) 


The  Christian  is  an  Expectant  of  Christ;  oxk  who  looks  for  his 
SECOXD  APPEARAXCE.  He  is  distinguished  hy  his  hoprs,  as  well  as  ])y  his 
princijiles,  and  by  his  character. 

The  HOPE  of  the  Christian  divides  itself  into  three  parts:  his  hope  during 
life,  his  hope  at  death,  and  his  hope  at  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  To  this 
last  period  Christian  hope  is  most  freqnently  represented  [in  the  Scriptures] 
as  looking  forward, — because  the  expectation  of  that  event  is  naturally  con- 
sidered as  including  all  that  shall  intervene  before  it.  The  saints  of  God, 
under  the  ancient  dispensation,  Avere  distinguished  by  their  hope  of  the 
coming  of  the  promised  Messiah  in  the  fulness  of  time.  And  as  the  hope  of 
\\\?.  first  coming  characterized  his  people  then,  so  does  the  ho2)e  of  his  second 
coming  characterize  them  ?wv\ 

That  he  will  come,  to  raise  the  dead,  and  to  judge  the  world;  to  bless  liis 
faithful  people  with  complete  salvation,  and  to  execute  on  his  enemies  the 
vengeance  due  to  their  impenitent  rebellion;  the  Scriptures  do  most jylainhj 
and  abundantly  testify.  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled;  ye  believe  in  Cfod, 
believe  also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  if  it  were  not 
so;  I  would  have  told  you:  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go 
away  and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again,  and  receive  you  unto 
myself,  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also:" — "And  when  he  had  spoken 
these  things,  Avhile  they  beheld,  he  Avas  taken  up;  and  a  cloud  received  him 
out  of  their  sight.  And  while  they  looked  steadfastly  toward  heaven  as  he 
went  up,  behold  two  men  stood  by  them,  in  white  apparel ;  who  also  said, 
Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven?  This  same  Jesus, 
who  is  taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come,  in  like  manner  as*  ye 
have  seen  him  go  into  heaven:" — "The  Lord  himself  shall  descend  from 
heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  with  the  trumj)  of 
God:  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  first  rise  ; — then  we,  who  are  alive  and  re- 
main, shall  be  caught  up  together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  ineet  the  Lord 
in  the  air:  and  so  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  John  xiv.  \-[\.  Acts  i. 
9-11.  1.  Thess.  iv.  lO,  17. 
425 


426  THE  christian's  hope  of 

And  whije  the  certainty  of  the  event  is  thus  clearly  affirmed,  it  is  no  less 
evident,  that  the  hope  of  the  event,  and  the  influence  of  that  hope,  are  distinctive 
marks  of  a  Christian; — of  one  who  is  such,  not  in  name  only,  but  in  heart. 
"As  it  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  and  after  this  the  judgment;  so 
Christ  was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many;  and  to  them  that  look  for 
him  shall  he  appear  the  second  time,  without  a  sin-offering,  unto  salvation:" — 
"Ye  turned  to  God  from  idols,  to  serve  the  living  and  true  God  ;  and  to  ivait 
for  his  Son  from  heaven,  whom  he  raised  from  the  dead,  even  Jesus,  who  de- 
livered us  from  the  wrath  to  come:" — "  Looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  even 
the  glorious  appearing  of  our  great  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ :"— "  I  am 
now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith :  hence- 
forth there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the 
righteous  Judge,  shall  give  to  me  at  that  day;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  to  all 
them  also  that  love  his  appearing.  Heb.  ix.  27,  28.  1  Thess.  i.  9,  10.  Titus 
ii.  13.    2.  Tim.  iv.  6-8. 

The  temper  of  mind  which  these  various  expressions  describe  is  exemplified  in 
a  very  impressive  and  edifying  manner,  in  the  conclusion  of  the  Bible: — 
"He  Avho  testifieth  these  things  saith,  Surely  I  come  quickly.  Amen.  Evcu 
so,  come,  Lord  Jesus/"  Rev.  xxii.  20.  The  spirit  breathed  in  this  holy  as- 
piration, is  to  be  found,  although  in  very  unequal  degrees,  in  every  faithful 
follower  of  the  Redeemer.  There  is  included  in  it : — In  the  first  place,  aflna 
belief  that  he  will  come: — that,  as  certainly  as  the  Word  of  God  was  verified 
by  his  coming  the  first  time,  it  shall  also  be  verified  by  his  second  appear- 
ance. And  this  confidence — resting  on  the  faithful  declaration  of  the  God 
of  truth,  and  maintained  by  all  the  accumulated  evidence  which  proves  the 
Bible  to  be  his  word— stands  unshaken  by  the  profane  taunts  of  the  ungodly 
scoffer,  who  says  still,  as  he  said  in  the  days  of  old,  "  Where  is  the  promise 
of  his  coming?"  2  Peter  iii.  1-10.— Secondly,  Glad  anticipation  of  the  event: 
because  it  shall  be  a  time  of  unprecedented  honor  to  their  Lord  and  Re- 
deemer; who  shall  then  be  "glorified  in  his  saints,  and  admired  in  all  them 
that  believe;"  and,  instead  of  hanging  on  the  cross,  in  ignominy  and  pain, 
"despised  and  rejected  of  men,"  shall  occupy,  amidst  surrounding  millions, 
the  throne  of  universal  judgment : — and  because  it  shall  be  the  time  of  com- 
plete salvation  and  triumph  to  his  redeemed  people ;  of  the  personal  glory 
and  blessedness  of  each,  and  of  the  social  happiness  of  all. — Thirdly,  Ha- 
bitual preparation  for  its  approach,  "None  of  us  liveth  to  himself,  and  no 
man  dietli  to  himself  For  whether  we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord ;  or  whether 
we  die,  we  die  unto  the  Lord:  whether  we  live,  therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the 
Lord's.  For  to  this  end  Christ  both  died,  and  rose  again,  and  revived,  that 
he  might  be  Lord  both  of  the  dead  and  living."  Rom.  xiv.  7-9.  The  Chris- 
tian lives  with  an  eye  to  his  final  account.  He  tries  his  conduct,  not  by  the 
standard  of  present  interest  or  advantage,  of  any  kind,  but  by  the  light  in 
which  it  shall  appear  when  he  shall  stand  at  the  tribunal  of  Christ.  He  en- 
deavors habitually  to  act  according  to  the  spirit  of  the  apostolic  exhortations 
— "Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end,  for  the 
grace  that  is  to  be  brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ:" — 


Christ's  second  coming.  427 

"Wherefore,  beloved,  seeing  that  ye  look  for  such  things,  be  diligent  that  ye 
may  be  found  of  him  in  peace,  without  spot  and  blameless."  1  Peter  i.  13. 
2  Peter  iii.  14.— Fourthly,  Patient  expectation  of  it.  The  Christian  is  subject 
to  many  and  various  distresses,  some  of  them  "common  to  men,"  and  others 
peculiar  to  the  children  of  God.  He  is  "in  heaviness  through  manifold  trials." 
But,  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed,  he  "possesses  his  soul  in 
patience."  As  "the  husbandman  waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth, 
and  hath  long  patience  for  it,  until  he  receive  the  early  and  latter  rain,"  so 
waits  the  believer  for  the  salvation  of  God;  "stablishing  his  heart,  because 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh."  James  v.  7,  8.  He  "  rejoices  in  hope," 
and  is  therefore  "  patient  in  tribulation :"  Kom.  xii.  12; — not  murmuring,  and 
fretting,  and  weary  of  the  world,  on  account  of  its  trials,  but  "  resting  in  the 
Lord,  and  waiting  patiently  for  him;"  happily  assured,  that  his  "light  afflic- 
tion, which  is  but  for  a  moment,  worketh  for  him  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory."  Psalm  xxxvii.  7;  2  Cor.  iv.  16-18. 

This  hope,  from  its  very  wiiiwxQ, possesses  a  sanctifying  t»/i<e/ice.-—"  Beloved, 
uow  are  we  the  sons  of  God ;  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  Ave  shall  be ; 
but  we  know,  that,  when  he  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  him,  for  we  shall 
see  him  as  he  is.  And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  Him  (that  is,  in  Christ*) 
purifieth  himself  even  as  he  is  pure."  1  John  iii.  2,  3.  It  cannot  fail  to  be  so,  from 
the  nature  of  the  thing.  That  which  we  hope  for,  we  desire; — and  that  which 
we  desire,  we  pursue.  Likeness  to  Christ,  and  the  felicity  thence  resulting, 
cannot  be  the  object  of  hope  without  being  the  object  of  desire ;  nor  can  it  be 
the  object  of  desire,  without  being  the  object  of  present  pursuit.  So  that  every 
one  who  really  has  this  hope  in  Christ — that  is,  whose  hope  has  not  only 
Christ  for  its  foundation,  but  complete  conformity  to  Christ  in  the  perfection 
of  holiness  for  its  object — will  infallibly,  "purify  himself  even  as  he  is  pure." 
To  the  man  who  does  not  thus  purify  himself,  holy  conformity  to  Christ  can- 
not be  the  object  of  hope;  for  if  it  were,  he  would  lil-e  if,  as  no  man  can  be 
said  to  hope  for  what  he  does  not  til:e; — and  if  he  liked  it,  he  would  show 
this  by  now  seeking  after  its  attainment.  The  object  of  such  a  man's  hope, 
if  he  has  formed  in  his  mind  any  definite  notion  of  it  at  all,  must  be  some- 
thing essentially  different. 

The  ground  of  this  hope,  which  has  just  been  alluded  to,  is  no  less  distinctive 
of  the  Christian  than  the  hope  itself.  In  looking  forward  to  the  second  coming 
of  his  Lord,  his  hope  of  acceptance  and  of  eternal  life  rests  on  that  work 
which  he  finished  at  his //-si;  coming;— on  the  atonement  made  by  the  blood 
of  his  cross.  Convinced  that  there  is  only  one  spot  on  the  face  of  this  earth 
from  which  a  guilty  creature,  whose  mind  is  properly  impressed  with  the 
holiness  of  God  and  the  evil  of  sin,  can  view  the  solemnities  of  an  approach- 
ing judgment  Avithout  dismay ;  the  Christian  transports  himself  in  imagina- 
tion to  the  heights  of  Calvary ;— takes  his  station  there  at  the  foot  of  the 

*  "In  him." — The  expression  is  commonly  interpreted  as  if  it  referred  to 
the  believer's  having  this  hope  in  himself,  that  is,  residing  in  his  mind  and 
heart.  The  i)hrasc  in  the  original,  however,  is,  err'  avru,  which  expresses  not 
the  exercise  of  hope  in  the  heart  of  him  who  possesses  it,  but  the  ground  on 
which  his  hope  rests. 


428  THE  christian's  hope,  etc. 

\ 

■cross ; — and^  with  one  arm  embracing  the  sacred  wood,  and  the  other  uplifted 

towards  heaven,  surveys,  with  steady  eye,  the  overwhelming  scene. The 

heavens  open — not  in  tranquil  serenity,  as  when,  on  the  banks  of  the  Jordan, 
the  Spirit  of  peace  alighted  on  the  Redeemer  to  consecrate  him  to  his 
office — but  rending,  and  rolling  away,  with  a  mighty  noise: — he  beholds  the 
descending  Judge,  revealed  in  effulgent  glory,  and  "all  his  holy  angels  with 
him,"  "ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand,  and  thousands  of  thousands:" — 
he  hears  "the  voice  of  the  Archangel  and  the  trump  of  God,"  "louder  than 
a  thousand  thunders :" — he  sees  the  great  white  throne  erected: — the  millions 
of  the  dead  starting  to  life,  and  gathering  before  the  dread  tribunal — while 
'^'from  the  face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
flee  away,  and  no  place  is  found  for  them;" — "the  judgment  set,  and  the 
books  opened;" — the  whole  race  of  mankind  assembled,  on  the  right  hand, 
and  on  the  left — all  waiting  their  respective  dooms,  Avith  joyful  hope,  or  with 
trembling  apprehension !  With  the  eye  of  prophetic  faith,  he  beholds  all 
this — and  with  deep  solemnity  of  spirit  he  anticipates  his  own  appearance  at 
the  bar  of  judgment.  Conscious  of  unworthiness  and  guilt,  and  impressed 
with  holy  awe  in  contemplating  the  purity  and  the  majesty  of  the  Judge, 
and  the  inconceivable  magnitude  of  the  results  of  that  "great  and  dreadful 
day  of  the  Lord," — he  prays,  with  humble  fervour — "God  be  merciful  to  me 
a,  sinner!" — "If  thou,  Lord,  shouldst  mark  iniquity,  who,  O  Lord,  should 
stand?" — "Enter  not  into  judgment  with  thy  servant;  for  in  thy  sight  no 
flesh  living  can  be  justified."  But  his  supplications  are  not  the  language  of 
despair.  He  has  hope — "good  hope  through  grace."  Did  he  look  only  to 
the  throne,  indeed — only  to  the  judgment-seat,  with  all  its  attendant  solem- 
nities—his heart  would  fail  him ; — but,  looking  alternately  to  the  Throne  and 
to  the  Cross,  the  view  of  the  one  takes  away  the  terrors  of  the  other.  He 
who  occupies  the  throne  of  judgment,  is  the  same  who  "  bore  the  sins  of  his 
people  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree."  The  Saviour  is  the  Judge.  The 
remembrance  of  this  reassures  his  spirit,  and  animates  him  with  the  con- 
fidence of  hope :  "There  is  forgiveness  with  thee,  that  thou  mayest  be  feared:" 
— "Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee,  who  pardoneth  iniquity,  and  passeth  by  the 
transgression  of  the  remnant  of  his  heritage  :  he  retaineth  not  his  anger  for- 
ever, because  he  delighteth  in  mercy:" — "Lo  this  is  my  God;  I  have  waited 
for  him,  and  he  will  save  me:  this  is  the  Lord  ;  I  have  waited  for  him,  I  will 
be  glad  and  rejoice  in  his  salvation."  Psalm  cxxx.  43;  Micah  vii.  18.  Isa. 
XXV.  9. 


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